Predator and Prey
by Strings of a Puppet
Summary: He's the bully. She's the nerd. He's the rebel. She's the saint. He begins a game to destroy her while she finds herself hopelessly caught in his clutches. After all, he's the predator and she... his prey. l AU. Dark fic. l
1. Prologue

General Disclaimer Applies. Major OOC. Includes mature content.

* * *

_Predator and Prey_

**Prologue**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_Look around you. _

_What do you see?_

—

—

Many say that high school is one of the best experiences in any person's life. Those seemingly short years will transform one from being a naive kid to a young adult and gain knowledge for the future ahead. Old customs and beliefs are questioned and new ones are put into practice in order to find a true identity or assure the existing self-worth and perspectives.

Yet it is also a time to have the best fun imaginable by exploring ardent goals that were once unreachable or forbidden, and settling the never-ending curiosity, caused by the inevitable happenings in life. Things like meeting new people, making best friends or enemies, learning from others, expanding abilities, striving for excellence and, most of all, falling in love for the first time are not always what one expects because it leads to several different directions, turning one's life upside down until the path to clarity is lost.

A majority of people reminiscence about their high school years by laughing or merely sighing in content at incidents that were completely new, hilarious, or frightening at the time, mostly for those unforgettable memories: simple pranks, occurrences, actions, and decisions made with plain stupidity. There were happy days for those individuals living a carefree life, enjoying time with their friends connected to them with similar interests or habits, or going to school dances, spending the time to look for the best dress, and other various activities.

But there were always those living in the background like unused or beaten down props in a school play who hated every minute and every second because high school felt like an alien planet in which surviving was the ultimate key. Whether it was from exclusion from their peers for whom or what they were or selective isolation for any reason, the experience varies considerably, occasionally ending in unsatisfactory or traumatic outcomes if nothing is done about it.

High school can either help find your way to success or destroy you completely. It is determined in many ways, but none more than associating yourself with the people known as your classmates. You expose yourself to them because, like it or not, they have a hand in making you into what you are and what you will become.

—

—

—

She's the nerd—

Always has been since the first day she stepped into the classroom when she was four years old, mostly due to the glasses she wore that gave the stereotypical title to anyone who possessed them. Unfortunately, she was stuck with the label, following her every step towards her last year of high school. People, young and old, only took one look at her and everything they assumed became her traits of personality, even if most was not true.

Though it was a bit difficult to believe she was not a generic copy since she dressed in geeky clothes that were never in style. Fashion tended to change rapidly and it was not exactly cheap to keep up with those who cared about designer brands. Expectedly, she had a high IQ and a clever mind that was not often appreciated. She wore thick glasses and had braces. She did not have friends; just like any other loner known in high school. However, she had unusual pink hair that would have been considered unique and beautiful; it only made things worse for her.

People made fun by calling her, "Ugly Pinky," or "Pinky the nerd bitch." Whatever pitiless nickname they used, it always had some form of the word pink in it.

She kept her hair braided in low pigtails, the only way she knew how to do her hair so it would not be a disturbance. Putting it up in a ponytail often caused knots in the long pink mane she treasured. After so many years of hearing the word "pink" when she was being insulted, she almost dyed it black so people could leave her alone, but her mother begged her not to, saying that it was a part of her. So for the sake of her mother, she kept it pink—even if it had become her _least_ favorite color and no longer a treasure.

As a nerd, she was teased daily in school. Books were knocked out of her arms in the hallways, classrooms, basically anywhere she went. Her feet were continuously stepped on both accidental and deliberate. Despite her small frame, she was pushed to the ground for either being in the way or just walking by. She was constantly taken advantage of when some would approach her with false intentions of befriending her in hopes they would get the answers to schoolwork or projects.

But she was naturally a kind human-being.

So she repeatedly told herself, in midst of humiliations and isolation, that they were just confused growing teenagers, who were really good at heart.

Her name is Haruno Sakura.

—

—

—

He's the rebel—

Always seen wearing either black or navy blue because showing self-expression was not important to him, not to mention he hated other colors, especially bright ones. He was also a complete heartthrob, and by carrying that title, he was also materialistic. It was not that he really was, but he guarded everything he had and would attack anyone who tried to take anything that was his. He owned a very expensive motorcycle, showing off his wealth and power, never letting anyone ride or touch it. Not that anyone dared to go near it in the first place.

He had countless giggling girls surrounding him in adoration, offering him tokens of their love, none of which he paid attention to. One of the biggest queries swirling constantly from the mouths of all was whether if he had girlfriend or not because his lack of interest greatly showed when girls would literally throw themselves onto him. Currently having the biggest fanclub, there was not a day when his fan girls would claim they went on dates with him, telling all who listened that he was a great kisser—making wonders with his tongue—and was absolutely incredible in bed.

It could have been from the unvarying attention and devotion or even from something else, but, unquestionably, he was arrogant and refused to obey when he did not want to. Now that was his form of self-expression.

Although, he did not hang out with the so called popular kids despite his huge popularity, he had his own associates consisting of Uzumaki Naruto and Aburame Shino. People could understand why he and Shino got along well because of the similarities between them, but could not understand why the dense blond boy, known for his hyperactive personality, was friends with him. They did not dare to question him about this matter though.

He was not part of gangs, something that young boys did to establish a position in society so that they would become known and powerful, but often, he would join fights with others to prove who was stronger. And he was known to never lose in _anything_.

Truthfully, behind the handsome and stoic face, he was violent and definitely someone not to cross. Gossip and rumors circulated whenever he was mentioned, frightening those already fearful when allegations to why he possessed anger or behavioral problems surfaced. When he was younger, it was evident of how powerful his anger was. It was thought and believed that he killed his older brother, who many had known when the elder brother ruled the school in the past, but neither has the reason or the validation of the rumor been confirmed. And since they did not dare to do many things when he was involved, they knew better than to ask personal questions.

No one wanted to piss him off. His actions were unpredictable, especially when he continued to be such a mystery.

His name is Uchiha Sasuke.

—

—

—

—

They are just your typical high school students.


	2. Chapter 1: Stung

_Predator and Prey _

**Stung**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_The world spins every moment of every day_...

_and yet, I continue to stand so still_—_frozen_—_in the same place._

—

—

Sakura woke up early for school, being routine to do so. Getting up from the covers, she took a stretch and headed towards the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, she went to her closet, choosing a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. The main reason she wore them was because they were comfortable to wear. She then proceeded to comb the long pink locks before her fingers separated it into two parts, and began to braid them; her attention focused on reciting some mathematical formulas. While she waited for her braided hair to dry, she headed downstairs where her mother was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning dear," her mother smiled as she took a sip of her coffee.

The pink-haired girl returned the smile, pecked her mother's cheek and sat down for breakfast. Nothing more was said for a few minutes as the two females enjoyed the peaceful morning before the day officially began. Sakura sighed at ease as she smelled the sweet aromas of the small kitchen.

"How's school so far?" her mother asked as she turned the page, her bright eyes focused on the young girl.

Sakura waited until she fully chewed her food before speaking, "It's…okay."

It was not a lie, even though what occurred daily would be considered contradictory, it was simply a routine for her. Silence filled the room again after her mother nodded, her features saddening in understanding, unknown to the pink head who continued eating. It was not long before Sakura finished her breakfast and gathered her backpack to check if she had everything needed for school. The inside of it was clean and organized. Assignments and such were in different colored folders to differentiate subjects or classes.

"Have a nice day at school. Remember that I'll be working late tonight so some food is already prepared in the refrigerator," said her mother while Sakura slipped on her backpack.

"Hai. Bye, okaa-san," replied Sakura as she headed towards the door.

Her mother continued to watch her slip into shoes and her face appeared worried like usual. "Be safe."

Closing the door to her small house, the pink-haired girl followed the pathway onto the sidewalk and continued from there. The school was a little far but it did not matter because she had plenty of time to arrive there. She had walked to school since she could remember. Although there were other forms of transportation, such as the bike she was given when she turned seven but did not quite learn how to ride it. Of course, the frequent falls and scrapes only lessened her confidence and the desire of learning how to do it. Soon enough, she became afraid of anything with wheels.

The streets were not busy at this time, excluding the people rushing here and there to get to work, so she often found herself daydreaming when she took these long walks to school. She thought about many things, like how life would be after high school when she entered the real world and would be able to pursue what she wanted without worrying about what people thought. However, she had not fully decided what to choose for a career. There were many options, but none that gained her complete interest and passion.

Well, there was one profession—she shook her head knowing that of all the things she lacked, money was the predominant one and what she needed to follow that certain dream. It was not possible. She had been taught at an early age that life tended to be difficult, especially when you had nothing to your name.

After a while, the school's white and gray walls came into view and brought her out of her thoughts. Her hands took hold of her backpack's straps as her head slightly declined when she entered the campus. As usual, students were not there yet. The teachers arrived at this time so the school gate was open. The first place she headed towards was the library, as always, where she felt was the most peaceful place in the whole school.

Taking a seat, she took out her heavy books from her bag to finish some studying for an upcoming test in the afternoon. A test that Ms. Murahama, one of the strictest history teachers, had repeated would be extremely hard and important. Sakura loved reading and studying never bored her, yet there was something about Murahama-san that caused her to be nervous about her performance in class. She was the kind of student that kept to herself in the classroom and listened attentively to what the teacher was saying. Her high marks definitely proved that. However, with Murahama-san as a teacher, one cannot be too overconfident and skip a study session.

The tranquility of her sanctuary was broken more than half an hour later when students starting showing up. She glanced at the clock above her, sadly noting that it was indeed almost time for class, and closed her book. Gathering her things, she left the library holding the first textbook she needed against her chest and walked at a rather slow pace towards her class.

She did not hate school or the students. It was really no one in particular that hated her either. They all treated her as the same as the school's average nerd. She was picked on, laughed at... basically what every unwanted nerd goes through every day in the life of high school. And she was used to it.

There was one girl she had met when she was about eight who was actually nice to her when no one else would be. The girl was very pretty: a blue-eyed blonde with a nice smile and outgoing personality. But after that day, she never saw her again. She remembered the disappointment and sadness she felt when she ran out into the playground, ready to play with her first friend and the kind blonde was nowhere in sight. Later, she learned that her new friend had moved to another city. It was not until the first year of high school that she spotted the blonde in the hallways out of nowhere. She was too shy to say anything and besides, the girl would probably not remember her anyway.

The girl was everything Sakura was not, especially now that they have grown older, the differences were completely obvious. She had long, flowing blonde hair that shined with every flip and eyes of sky blue, which everyone envied. The blonde got along with most of the school population and all wanted to be her friend, or more accurately, in her social circle. Sakura did not realize, at that time, that she was staring too much until another girl named Ami suddenly shouted out, "Lesbian!"

She had jerked her head towards the yell, completely horrified. Soon everyone in hearing range erupted in laughter while they pointed at her. Reddening in complete embarrassment, she was paralyzed when the blonde girl also looked at her. It was like time had stopped, but everything else around her kept going and going.

"This hideous bitch is in love with you, Ino-chan!" yelled Ami, clutching her stomach as fits of hysterical laughter erupted.

Sakura could not remember anything else of that incident because she ran away once seeing the look of sheer disgust on her role model's face. That was three years ago. Luckily, it was forgotten when second year came around and she learned to be more careful of her surroundings.

Of course, there were times when she was oblivious to students' actions. When hit or pushed, it was not serious enough to leave bruises. The only bruises she did manage to get were from tripping over her own feet. While she could not help being a nerd, she definitely could not help being a klutz.

She took a seat in the front of the class, always arriving first, though she was not the teacher's pet as assumed. She never actually spoke to them unless it was absolutely necessary. Therefore, many teachers had a hard time remembering her name, but they did recognize her. The pink hair was unforgettable. While it was fashionable to dye hair in every single possible color, all girls stood away from pink because of her. They were probably afraid of being cursed with ugly looks.

Her grades were in the range of excellence but not a hundred percent. She was intelligent but not a genius. That title belonged to a classmate by the name of Nara Shikamaru. He was definitely known as the lazy one throughout school. So she thought that too until she was paired up for a project with him last year. She was impressed by the work he did turn in, but he would never turn in all the assignments on time claiming it was 'troublesome', and that made him barely pass all his classes.

Sakura envied him and could not understand why he did that. He had it easy. She spent her time studying but was not able to hold much information when she became preoccupied on what to expect from her classmates each day. Sometimes they ignored her; she was just a dirty speck of existence on some days. Most of the time, she became the center of attention, but in a negative way. Going through this ambiguous predicament daily, she found it difficult to study alone in her room when the humiliating thoughts kept playing and rewinding in her head.

The sounds of conversation and other various noises emerged from the hallways as cars with loud music honked while the drivers parked, signaling the arrival of the student body. Adjusting her pencil so it lay straight on her desk, she stared at the front waiting for class to begin.

The rest of the day went by quickly. Normally, she ate lunch by herself without the company of another human being. It hurt being alone. She would find herself watching how others acted with each other. And from those observations, discovered the traits and personalities of her peers, yet she was the stranger, known to sit outside on a bench with a notebook in her lap.

If anything, paper and books became her best friends in the long periods of solitude in a mass of young people like herself. Learning to adapt to her environment, she became used to it because there was not any other choice. It was too late to befriend others due to her reputation. Finally, the second to the last class began and another day of school will soon be over.

And she was secretly glad.

* * *

Gradually, clouded obsidian eyes opened and dark eyelashes flickered to adjust to the brightness of the room as his head turned on the pillow to stare at red digital numbers. The young man annoyingly brushed away the black strands of hair in his eyes that had fallen when he turned to the side. He was late for school and it was most likely due to the fact that he did not set the alarm last night... again.

Sighing quietly, he sat up as one of his hands massaged the back of his neck, taking time to wake up completely. Soon after, he stood from the bed and picked black clothing from the closet without so much caring what was chosen.

There was not really much to eat in the kitchen as he went in there and made a mental note to buy—an extremely dull task in his opinion—groceries later on. Meanwhile, he threw something edible in the microwave and tried to remember where he left his school things. He found them laid carelessly on the couch and returned with them into the kitchen. He took a few bites before also grabbing a helmet as he left the house.

He lived alone.

Starting up his black motorcycle, which he bought himself because he was sick of taking the metro to school, he drove onto the street. In the past, girls _and_ women traveling by metro giggled too much around him when he did nothing but mind his own business on his way to school. He would not have cared since none had the courage to approach him, but he grew tired of it. It only influenced his decision to get his own form of transportation when he received attention from males—who did possess that courage—as well.

The streets were busy; various cars zoomed by him, encouraging and daring him to engage in speed. He pressed down on the petal gaining the desired velocity. He cut through cars causing them to stop violently and honk repeatedly at him. The act only made him more reckless; it was all in game and he cut through several more cars that screeched as some halted caught unaware. The race was short lived when the school building appeared too soon for his liking.

He parked near the front, where professors' vehicles were located and left his helmet hanging from a handle of the bike. No one dared to go near it anyway. They would face serious injury if they did. Most people of school authority included as they, too, kept their distance if possible, all cringing from the reputation of his family name.

He entered the building, the halls were empty, exactly how he preferred. Walking to his leisure, he did not bother to obtain a late slip, having arrived late countless of times to which the habit never changed, much to the school officials' rage, and continued on his way. The silence came to an end when he stood before an open classroom, lingered in the doorway, and waited for the usual reaction.

The conversations ceased as students began staring at him with different looks; the foremost expressions were the typical envy and lust as eyes measured him from head to toe. Asuma-san, the instructor, who was busily trying to talk over the noise as he explained something on the blackboard stopped and turned curiously to the class. Almost instantly, loud squeals erupted from the females, though overall, Sasuke was greeted with more self-conscious faces from the males.

Asuma sighed while he waited for the squealing to stop, which was not going to be anytime soon.

"H-Hello Sasuke," said one of the daring—most known to be easy and sleazy—girls, the rise of a blush still present on her cheeks, as he passed by her to sit down.

He did not bother to acknowledge her as other girls mimicked the previous girl and said the same to him. The boys nodded in his direction but none did so confidently, their eyes either focused on his shoulder or arm. Finally a few minutes after he sat down, it became silent and Asuma took this chance to continue with the lesson before they lost interest, if they have not done so in the beginning already. However, the students' own conversations started up again and Asuma wondered why he took up this post for a living for the hundredth time in a row.

Sasuke was without expression but he was bored and did not bother to take any notes. What was the point? And the talking around him overpowered what was being said in the lesson anyway.

As lunch time rolled around, he met up with Naruto and Shino to head towards the cafeteria. Naruto was best friends, even though he did not admit it a loud, with him for years. Even when he wanted to strangle the blond idiot from time to time, both boys had a level of understanding. Naruto was an orphan and understood the loneliness of living alone. They both met Shino a couple of years ago during a fight.

Sasuke and Naruto could have handled the gang that had pestered and attacked the two, but they were outnumbered once more joined in against them. Shino, in his long coat and shades, appeared out of nowhere and helped out. From that point, Shino became part of the group and it was a surprise that to discover Shino attended the same school. The shade wearer kept to himself and had a fascination with bugs, which Naruto thought was creepy and took a while to get used to him. On the other hand, Sasuke was not bothered by it.

The day was progressing slowly, in his opinion, slower than usual. Students bustled as they joked around and ate. He glanced around, feeling this scene to be childish, especially when he caught the stares of various females before they giggled to themselves.

"I don't get it," stated Naruto, scratching his head.

Onyx eyes and a pair of shades looked at him before Naruto continued, "What do these girls see in you?"

Neither answered his question and Naruto huffed for being given the silent treatment once again.

It was not rocket science to figure out that the blond boy was jealous of the attention Sasuke received. Even some of the teachers, young or old, were quite smitten with him because of his attractive features mixed with something dark that made anyone shudder. Men and females lost their common sense at the sight of him, embarrassing themselves, and he managed to ignore all of this because he started getting used this sort of attention when he was barely a teen.

It was pathetic when some teachers handed him good grades and favors, pretending that he showed up for class on time, letting him turn in assignments anytime he wanted, and so forth, but it was not like he needed them. He was capable on his own. And yet, if someone was so willing to give you what you want without effort, who would not take advantage of it?

That was the only positive thing about all this nonsense that occurred daily. If the dobe wanted girls pestering him all day, he would gladly give it up to him. However, his fanclub thought otherwise, obviously. The bell sounded once, alerting them that class would be back in session in less than five minutes. If anything Sasuke hated in particular of the whole school day was the following class after lunch.

Not only was it history, he hated long lectures, but the teacher was one of the few that despised him. He did not give a damn quite honestly. Again, he took his time while he debated whether to skip this class today or not as he neared the door. He was not given much time to think about it when a short woman walked passed him.

"So _glad_ you made it to class, Uchiha," said the history teacher, Murahama-san, sarcastically.

Girls automatically squealed at his presence and the woman barked at them to be quiet. Sasuke walked to take the empty seat that was left in the second row. A girl in the third row behind him stuck out her leg to his chair flirtingly. He looked from the smooth leg to the smiling face. It was just another of his fangirls. With the slightest bit of change in his eyes, the girl took the hint and left him alone.

"Haruno, stop daydreaming! Nara, wake up! Inuzuka, be quiet!" snapped the woman as she shook her finger to those being addressed.

When he sat down, the teacher began passing out a stack of paper. He looked at them without care before it clicked.

An exam.

And he forgot to study. He came home right after school yesterday and fell asleep, dead tired after a couple of fights the night before yesterday. It would not have been a problem when he could accurately guess using his logic if he knew what they were currently studying. But did it matter? A failed grade at this point would not affect him.

"All right, begin. You have until the end of class to finish."

He sighed quietly and wasn't going to attempt to answer the questions. His onyx eyes lifted from the exam to the clock overhead. What was he going to do during all this time? If he looked like he was doing nothing, he would be told to leave and that seemed like a good idea.

As he prepared to put down his pencil, a quick movement from the front caught his attention. A girl with pink hair was writing furiously, filling the page up. Observing her with dark eyes, he recognized her as one to always be in the sidelines invisible to everyone, including himself. As he watched how quick the girl was writing, an idea slipped into his mind. _This should be easy. _He always had sharp eyesight and it wasn't like the nerd was exactly covering her answers. He started to copy off her paper.

Time passed in silence with occasional sneezing and soft noises the students made as they thought. Some that did not understand a question or the whole exam in general were chewing on their nails, but he kept writing. He knew the nerd's answers made sense and noticed that class would be over soon. Once the bell rang, he turned it in before her and left.

* * *

_Just why am I in this class again?_ He thought as he stared at Murahama-san explaining something about the history homework they were being assigned. His onyx eyes glanced at the clock rather impatiently. Two minutes until this class was over.

"Remember!" barked Murahama, "Do the homework!"

Students murmured their replies as they all moved, putting away their things and heading for the door.

"Haruno! Uchiha! I need to speak with you both."

_Now what?_ He was halfway to the exit and, sighing silently, slowly turned back. The teacher was by her desk, waiting until all the other students left. It immediately clicked in his mind. This must be about the test a few days ago. Now that he thought about it, why did he cheat again?

Meanwhile, the pink-head had no idea what was going on. She nervously stood and stopped a couple of feet from the desk, shuffling the books in her arms.

After the last student left, Murahama beckoned the two closer to her, "This is a very serious matter and I hope that neither of you decide to lie to me."

There was a moment of silence for the words to sink into their brains before the she spoke again, "I have been grading and _both_ your tests are exactly the same. _Explain._"

The girl's reaction was obvious and couldn't speak. He temporarily glanced at the nerd before looking somewhere else, evidently bored with the conversation. Neither said a word and it only irked the Murahama's patience and anger.

"Fine, if there's nothing to explain then you both _fail._"

Was that supposed to be dramatic? He thought and had to stop himself from smirking. He knew something like this would happen, considering Murahama was one of the most hated teachers on campus for being so strict. She wasn't well liked among the school because she obviously hated her job and all students. She was the uptight bitch that needed to be seriously fucked to loosen up. Though, he also knew that no one in their right mind would want to touch her. She was old and it was starting to rapidly show in her thinning hair and wrinkly skin.

Failing wasn't severe. In fact, it would be his first failed grade of the year. At least he wasn't given detention because he hated wasting his time with that useless excuse for a punishment. He would often skip detention so much that now he was stopped from exiting the school until he completed them. So he would accept this failing grade for this stupid class and forget about it. His attention was shortly brought towards the girl he cheated off when she looked down and moved uncomfortably.

"He cheated off my paper," said the nerd quietly, almost inaudible if he hadn't watched her lips move.

He narrowed his eyes, quick in responding to her unexpected claim, "Why would I cheat?"

She refused to look at him, instead fidgeted with her hands and tapped her fingers on the back of the book that gave a combined impression of embarrassment and fear. Murahama was carefully monitoring them and picked up some papers from her desk of the current grades for the class. It was difficult when she noticed that both had rather high marks.

"All right, you both have _one_ chance to make up the test. Come here straight after school. Don't be late or you completely fail. Now get out of my sight," she growled and upset that she couldn't do much about the situation.

The nerd nodded at her, then began walking out clearly avoiding any eye contact—or any contact —with him for that matter. He followed with his hands in pocket, expressionless. But his eyes were hard as he stared at her back. She had taken the left, his sight never leaving her as he continued after her. He absolutely hated having to stay after school. A sudden uncontrollable anger emerged from within him.

He passed by her quickly, having long strides and matched her pace momentarily to make sure she was aware of his presence. But in the next second, one of his hands forcibly struck out and pushed her shoulder. Unaware of his intentions, she made a panicked noise before stumbling over her feet and falling sideways onto the floor.

"Little bitch."

Smirking sadistically, he continued walking without giving her a backward glance.

* * *

Naruto was busily trying to rip open the candy bar as the three headed out of the last, and only, class they shared throughout the school day. "So, same plans for today as before?"

Sasuke had remained silent and Shino noticed. "Sasuke, you coming?"

"No. I have to take a fucking test.

"Ha, teme. You're missing out then. I heard Hyuuga Neji wanted to prove he was better than you," laughed Naruto, still trying to open his candy.

"That girly asshole? I'll wipe the floor with his hair," replied Sasuke after scoffing.

"Why is this so hard to open?" exclaimed Naruto, then sank his teeth onto it and began pulling.

Shino looked disturbingly at the blonde's behavior and put some distance between them. Sasuke noticed the stairs to the third floor was approaching and his mood darkened. Shino had realized the change and walked ahead of them both smartly.

Sasuke had turned towards the stairs, not bothering to say anything else. It wasn't that he had to take the test again that was the problem. And as he entered the classroom, the _source_ of the problem was sitting in the first row staring ahead. The classroom was void except for her, which meant that stupid history teacher was going to take her time in getting here, and it irritated him. He paused when he noticed her movements freeze, alerting him that she knew of his presence.

The anger came back, slowly at first as he scrutinized the nerd, and then almost reaching to a maximum when she tried to pretend he wasn't there. Why did he have to stay here when he had other important things to do? He knew he caused this, but this little ugly nerd wasn't supposed to speak against him. Absolutely no one would try to do that, and if they did, the consequences were at their expense.

It took most of his will not to injure the pathetic excuse for a girl, remembering that after all she was female, when he approached the seats. Deciding at the last moment, he sat down next to her and could obviously see she was uncomfortable with this.

Pulling out a pencil, he knew he was going to fail anyway but he was going to bring her down with him. With a smirk, he dropped his pencil purposely and it rolled over to her side. He bent down in his seat and reached for it, aiming to move his seat closer to hers. He was going to cheat again and put the blame on her. This time she wouldn't dare say anything because he would speak out against her and she wouldn't stand a chance. His hand went closer to her shoe, in close range to the pencil, when he noticed the ugly socks she was wearing.

Suddenly, she picked her foot and crossed her legs while she flinched in the process. He smirked as he sat up again as the teacher came in with a scowl.

"You both better hurry. I don't have _time_ for your mistakes."

_That makes two of us._ He thought as Murahama placed two sets of the test on their desks.

When both began, the teacher looked at them uninterested before sitting at her desk and pulling out a magazine. He read over some of the questions and realized it was the same test. He smirked at the fact; he didn't need to directly cheat off the nerd anymore. He had excellent memory and began writing.

After a while, he finished first and turned it in. The woman gave him an unfriendly look before taking it to immediately grade it. With another bored expression, he looked from his test to the girl still in her seat. She was biting on the pencil's eraser, apparently thinking about her answer. His gaze fell from the loose pants to her somewhat frizzy pink hair. A cough brought his attention back to the right where his test was handed back to him.

'A'

Murahama still had a suspicious look but it turned into an accused expression as she turned to the girl. Things worked out for him after all. And he was allowed to leave.

He checked his watch. It was already too late to join the others and he didn't feel like going anywhere. He left through one of the back doors of the school and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it up and inhaled, letting the bittersweet taste in his system for a moment before releasing the smoke. He began smoking when he turned fifteen, due mostly to curiosity, and couldn't stop the nicotine addiction because it calmed him sufficiently.

"Stupid Hyuuga."

Just who did that girly boy think he was? The last time he saw him was about three years ago. Insults were thrown back and forth when they both saw each other until fists were used. The asshole managed to give him a black eye but he was worse for wear.

Five minutes later he flicked the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, making another mental note to get another pack along with the groceries. The doors opened loudly, getting his attention, and a girl came out. He watched the nerd wipe the tears away under the thick frames of her glasses while she shakily put on her backpack.

He couldn't help but to chuckle lowly, having no doubt that Murahama believed the pink-head was the one who cheated in the first place. She lightly gasped when she heard the sound and turned around. Her face had blotches of red, especially her nose.

Damn, she was ugly.

Her eyes widened when she saw him, shoulders tensing, and in a frightened, embarrassed scatter, she began to run away. An eyebrow slightly rose at her reaction as he walked towards the parking lot, where he left his motorcycle, and could still see her running at a distance. He smirked noticing how clumsy she looked when she tried to keep her backpack from falling off her shoulder while arms clutched a book.

How amusing.


	3. Chapter 2: It Begins

_Predator and Prey_

**It Begins**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_There is no gap, no escape in that circle that surrounds me, keeping me isolated..._

…_how were you able to slither your way through?_

—

—

The pale, pink shade of the fragile cherry blossoms deeply contrasted the tree's dark brown bark and branches in the school's courtyard. The petals swayed with the occasional breeze, making the pink flicker beautifully. It was always a wonderful sight to gaze at, especially as it emitted a tranquil aura. So it wasn't a surprise that this was one of the most popular sites of the school as students sat on grass to study or spend time with friends.

Unhurried footsteps sounded on the pavement as the young man headed towards his destination, ignoring the sights of nature around him, but was followed by a blond calling out his name. When the blond reached the dark-haired, they already entered the building.

"Slow down teme!" complained Naruto, "I'm trying to talk to you here!"

"Hn."

"Hey! You missed all the fun yesterday! You should have seen it!" exclaimed Naruto.

It took Sasuke a moment to recall what the dobe was referring to. Sasuke muttered when he remembered, quite uninterested, "What? Hyuuga broke a nail?"

"Ha, not exactly, he brought some fuzzy brow-eyed guy for backup. I went against him," exclaimed Naruto making fists to demonstrate.

"And you almost lost," Shino said pushing his glasses up to place as he joined them.

Naruto gave a scandalized look. "I was distracted by his fuzzy brows! I swear they were alive!"

They were walking through the hallway to class. As they passed, some girls stared at Sasuke lovingly while hoping to catch his eye, but he ignored them.

"Anyway, Hyuuga insulted you for not being there saying you must have been scared shit of him," continued Naruto.

"Of what? His long conditioned hair?" said Sasuke coolly, not giving a damn about what Hyuuga thought.

Naruto laughed as expected and prepared to add onto that insult but he suddenly quieted down. Both Shino and Sasuke looked at him for the strange silence that wasn't common for the hyperactive knucklehead. He was walking stiffly, staring ahead with unblinking azure eyes, while a blush rushed to his cheeks.

"Are you blushing?" Shino could not exactly tell since he was wearing sunglasses indoors.

Sasuke turned back to Shino. How could he even suspect the dobe was blushing?

"Shh!" mumbled Naruto, "There she is."

The two looked at where he was looking, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. They continued to walk until Naruto released the breath he was holding.

"Have you gone insane, dobe?" said Sasuke, although it wouldn't be a surprise judging from Naruto's unusual tendencies.

"Hinata," was all said Naruto dreamily.

"Hyuuga Hinata?" asked Shino, raising his eyebrow.

There was a bit of surprise on Sasuke's part since the dobe was oblivious to mostly everything around him that wasn't or included ramen. In fact, he never heard the dobe mention a girl in his whole life. Naruto had completely believed girls had "cooties" since he was a child and that belief carried on to his adolescence. But a Hyuuga? The mere mention of that name infuriated him.

"A Hyuuga?" said Sasuke disgusted.

"She's nothing like that punk Neji! She's very nice. If they did not have the same eyes or surname, you'll never figure they're related!" said Naruto quickly, defending his love interest.

"Whatever, dobe. I could care less about your love life."

"Like you have one," mumbled Naruto as he scratched his cheek.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," said Naruto quickly again.

They parted ways after a few minutes, each having a different class in the mornings. The bell rang and students rushed in different directions while others continued their conversations with others or on their cell phones, not worrying about class or getting detention.

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, his backpack over one shoulder, and slightly smirked when people instantly made way for him to walk pass. He could even smell the complete fear that some people radiated into the atmosphere.

His eyes then caught a glance ahead where a familiar pink head was struggling to switch heavy books by her locker so she could hurry to class. Students that were walking constantly blocked his view as he came closer. From what he could see, she was wearing an oversized gray sweater and loose purple sweats. That long pink hair was in the same hairstyle.

Even with realizing that he had forgotten about her, it still brought a sense of hostility when he continued looking at her direction and he didn't know why. He knew she wasn't worth his time but there was something about that nerd that was…he could not describe it. Still, the main reason was because she dared to speak against him and that was unacceptable.

He walked by intentionally, looking as if he did not see her and bumped into her shoulder hard. Unsuspecting, she lost her balance and crashed her upper body onto the metal door while a heavy textbook jabbed her above her chest.

She was extremely short compared to his six feet stature and must not weigh that much if all he did was push her. He remembered how she fell easily yesterday in the hallways. What a worthless runt.

"Watch where you're going…idiot," he said casually as he walked ahead.

He did not know why he enjoyed tormenting her like that. He just did. And for good measure, he looked back and saw her make a pained face while she stood up straight again. Though he also noted that she did not bother to turn and see who the culprit was.

* * *

The noises of the cafeteria were starting to give him a headache as he sat lazily at one of the tables furthest from the rest of the student population.

"So, like I was saying, Fuzzy brows is kind of fast but he's—"

Sasuke ignored the rest of Naruto's constant babbling, which only made his headache worse. Across was Shino who was hardly eating anything and it was almost impossible to know what he was thinking. Sasuke had a suspicion he fell asleep at times but did not really care. Naruto was eating too much and that definitely made him lose his appetite.

"May I sit here?" a feminine voice said out of nowhere.

They looked up to see a girl smiling flirtingly at Sasuke but she ignored the other two.

"Uh..." Naruto began, his mouth open with noodles hanging out.

The girl then turned around to grin at her friends. The three saw her low tight jeans and the top of her g-string. She turned again, awaiting Sasuke's answer.

"Why not?" said Sasuke causing the other two to stare at him.

She squealed while taking the seat next to him and pulling her seat closer. She had turned back to her friends, smiling in accomplishment at their envious faces. One or two girls quickly gathered their things in order to sit with her friend as an excuse to be closer to the Uchiha.

"I'm done here," continued Sasuke and stood away from the girl.

"What?" the girl said alarmed, jerking her attention to him as her friends halted in their movements.

"All right, see you later!" said Naruto and became preoccupied eating his food.

Shino twitched at the girl. Her perfume was too musky for his senses. It smelled like bug poison.

Sasuke walked to the exit while the girl begged him to come back. He felt crowded in the large room and his head was throbbing. At times like this, there was only one thing he needed and that was a cigarette.

He didn't have to sneak to the rooftop since there wasn't anyone to stop him, but he made sure no one was following him. He took the long stairs. The school was a large building and it did take some stamina to reach classes on different floors. Once he reached the top, he carelessly threw open the door and closed it behind him.

Fumbling in the pocket of his black coat, he pulled one out and lit it, his hand protecting the flame from going out. It was windy up here, but it calmed him along with the smoke. Walking forward, the wind played with his dark locks as he flexed his body feeling the need of an intense workout or fight. He wanted the latter imagining beating Hyuuga's head on the cement ground.

Seriously, sometimes he wondered what the point of school was. Why was he here? He looked towards the sky, a few clouds passed by slowly, and it influenced the rate the day was progressing. Still, he thought about the freedom that was out there compared to what he was living in now. He could not wait to get out of here.

Taking various smokes, he checked his pockets again for the mints he had to always buy along with the cigarette packet. The least he wanted was to get caught and be prohibited from smoking. He needed a smoke everyday. What was funny though was that he only needed to when he was at school. He was fine without one at home or anywhere else for that matter.

The bell rung and he looked at the cigarette. _What a waste_. He flicked it to the ground and he went down to class, knowing annoyance would cling to him once again when he returned to the shit holes from his haven.

The lecture was boring as usual. It was the same class where he had to take that test over again. He did not understand what was so important about history anyway. The past was the past. Shouldn't they focus on the future? It's what all the teachers around here kept saying anyway. 'Study and you'll go far in life!' Yeah, right. If they truly believed that, then why did most professors look like they want to commit suicide?

"Nara! Start reading page 229!" commanded Murahama.

"...troublesome," muttered Shikamaru as he slowly searched for the page.

Before any reading began, a figure appeared at the doorway, and the students were glad for any type of distraction so they wouldn't fall asleep.

A man with a silver mane smiled at the teacher, suddenly remembering her attitude towards interruptions. "Am I interrupting? I just need to speak with Uchiha for a moment."

The woman unexpectedly smiled like a schoolgirl and the students snickered. "Of course not. Go on ahead, _Hatake-san_."

_Now what?_ Sasuke stood gathering his backpack while some girls whined because he was leaving. It was unusual for Hatake to show up when class was in session. Even if he was the school's counselor, he hardly was seen walking around the school.

"See you later," a blonde blue-eyed girl winked at him.

He recognized her but could not remember a name along with the face. So he brushed it off and followed the counselor out the door and to his office on the first floor. Once they arrived, Sasuke remembered faintly of the last time he was in here.

Hatake Kakashi motioned him to take a seat, "Are you aware of the school rules, Uchiha?"

"Hn."

"Then you know that smoking on school property is not allowed. It'll earn you a suspension."

Nothing on Sasuke's face betrayed the slight surprise. The only hint was the way his hand curled into a fist on the arm of the chair. However, he was quick with a monotonous response, "How would you know I was smoking on school grounds? You hardly _leave _your office."

Mentally, he was relieved that he took breath mints before class since he still needed something in his mouth afterwards.

"A student brought it to my attention," answered Kakashi simply.

A student? Who the hell would report him, but most importantly, who spied on him?

"Who?" said Sasuke, still containing the monotone even though his fist had tightened more.

"That's confidential, Uchiha."

His fist was motionless but did not uncoil.

There was a moment of silence as the older male studied him, "Is there something that's worrying you?"

Sasuke did not bother to answer, merely looking at him as if he asked a very stupid question.

"I am the school counselor, not to mention your..." Kakashi trailed off for a moment, "You can talk to me about your problems."

"That's confidential," he repeated in the same tone and could not help but to smirk a little.

Kakashi was quiet once more as he thought about something then spoke, "This is your last warning. Next time, it's a suspension."

"Whatever."

"Detention."

"Why?" he asked with a low hard tone.

"Just as a last warning," explained Kakashi.

"I can't. I'm busy today."

"That's too bad. Be here right after school today and also tomorrow because of your smart mouth."

Sasuke did not move his narrowed eyes from the man, "Since when are you this strict? I remember when you gave students a break."

"I still do," grinned Kakashi then dropped it, "It's just that some students need to be reminded that I can only give so many chances."

* * *

So here he was, standing outside the door that had the label with 'Detention' written across the window. After the little talk with Kakashi, he did not return to class, feeling the urge to break something. It had been so long since he has been in detention. The absences, tardies, and school fights were the main reasons why he spend most of his late afternoons there. After that, he learned not to get caught again, including the fact that no one dared to tell on him anymore.

"Ah, here for detention, I see!" said a deep voice behind him.

He turned around and mentally cringed. Right in front of him was a tall man with a bowl haircut and green spandex outfit that was giving him a flashy smile. It was the P.E. teacher, Maito Gai. Just what was he doing here? Instantly, he understood before the bowl-haired man flashed him another blinding smile.

"Let's get started then!" Gai yelled out clapping and rubbing his hands together.

Sasuke did not move, only looked bored. _This idiot?_

Gai smile became wider, "Do you need some words of encouragement? I'll happily join—"

"What do I have to do?" interrupted Sasuke, moving his eyes away from the unpleasant sight.

Gai made a sound of triumph before rushing down the hall and came back, just as quickly, with a dripping mop, "The floors need to be cleaned and what better way than a student helping? It increases school spirit!"

"No."

The smile on Gai's face fell and emitted a look of uncertainty. Sasuke knew he won immediately.

That was until the smile returned, "Would you like me to join you and teach you how to mop?"

Fuck this. Impatience was emerging in him, "What part of no don't you understand? I'm not doing this."

"But Kakashi-san told me specifically to give you this task because he said that you're very determined!" said Gai trying to understand why someone wouldn't want to do this.

"Screw Kakashi," said Sasuke then began to walk away. He barely turned a corner when said man appeared.

"I figured you would say something like that," said Kakashi in a relaxed tone, "Would you like me to add another day of detention, Uchiha?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "I'm not doing anything while he's here."

"I'm sorry but someone has to watch you," replied Kakashi without any sympathy in his voice.

"Why can't it be you?"

"I have a busy schedule. Students to see—"

"School's over," Sasuke's harsh tone pointed out.

"—and people to call. Have fun," finished Kakashi, not letting the boy another chance to argue and walked towards Gai.

Sasuke heard some whispering then Kakashi disappeared from sight. Gai kept nodding gladly even as Kakashi left. He did not like what this was coming to as he hatefully looked at the P.E. teacher's face. Someone was going to pay for this.

"Come on! Let's get started! You start on that end and I'll start on the other," said Gai, looking for the water buckets.

It was evident that this weirdo was going to be with him the whole time. And what made his mood worsen was the fact that he realized something. _Shit._ This was a four story building. Sasuke looked down at the dirty looking mop.

Someone was really going to pay.

He wasn't in the happiest of moods the following day in his second detention. It was late when he completely finished the floors he was supposed to do. Parts of his clothes were wet with smelly water and cleaning products. At times, the mop left the floor dirtier to begin with and it slowly upset him. Somehow, Gai finished early and kept cheering him on. Not only was that annoying but utterly disturbing.

Holding a bucket full of water and soap, he dipped a rag and set it on the floor of a classroom. They were now making him wash all the blackboards and later on, get rid of the chalk dust on erasers. This was around the tenth board he was cleaning and he angrily wrung the rag to dispose excess water. He scrubbed the board roughly as the spandex wearer began humming an upbeat song while he brought more water.

His mood did not get any better as he slammed two erasers together away from his stoic face. Almost fed up, he threw them all the school's walls, each one making a rather satisfying noise that echoed in the empty campus. When he ran out of erasers, there were various white spots on his black shirt but another thing was evident on his mind.

Tomorrow, he'll find out who was responsible.

And it'll be payback time.

—

—

It was all he could think about the next morning as he entered the school building earlier than he done in years. His eyes travelled from groups of people to whoever was in his way. All gave looks that he saw daily. Some blushed, others tried to wave to him in a friendly manner, and others did not meet his eyes. Who was responsible?

"Sasuke? Teme? You're…early!" said Naruto as he walked over to the Uchiha in disbelief. "Not even Shino comes to school this early. What's up?"

Said person did not answer but onyx eyes kept glancing around.

"How was detention?" asked Naruto instead as he put his arms behind his head.

No answer.

"Lighten up, at least they didn't make you clean toilets," Naruto shuddered, "That was the worst experience of my short life!"

The blond curiously raised his eyebrow as his glanced at his best friend when he did not retort with an accompanying insult. Something was bothering the dark-haired and it looked like it was serious. However, as much as he wanted to help him, Naruto knew that when Sasuke did not want to talk, it was futile. He sighed while Shino appeared minutes after.

"I don't know what's going on, Sasuke," said Naruto making up his mind, "But whatever it is, we'll help you out. If it's a punk, we'll pound him!"

Shino declined his head in approval. Meanwhile Sasuke shook his head, "It's none of your business."

"You sure? You seem very pissed."

Sasuke gave a scoff, "I'll handle this on my own."

Both Naruto and Shino exchanged a knowing look. They were going to pity whoever managed to irk Sasuke.

He could not concentrate at all during his morning classes, too preoccupied with glaring at the slow clock he grew to hate in his high school years. He already had a plan made up and all he needed was for lunchtime to roll around.

It could not, and did not, come as quickly as he had wanted but he almost stormed out of the classroom. Students moved out of the way and even fangirls decided to stay at a distance. It wouldn't take long investigate who snitched out him and he went to the rooftop immediately when lunch barely began.

Waiting behind a small structure on the roof, he was still as he glared at the door. He did not have to wait long until the door knob slowly opened and revealed the identity of the person.

He got even angrier when pink hair came into sight. He watched the pink-haired nerd quietly shut the door behind her and walked to a certain place. She sat down while opening her backpack to take out her lunch. He silently walked toward her, unable to contain his anger any longer. So a stupid little girl was the one that dared to speak against him and she gotten him into trouble again. Well, she wasn't going to get away with it this time.

His foot stomped on the bag of lunch that she had placed on the ground beside her to zip up her backpack. Plastic could be heard breaking and liquid instantly oozed out of it, making the bag become soggy. She had immediately towards the noise but only managed to see black shoes until he pulled her up harshly. Gasping, she dropped the sandwich she was holding when he gripped harder.

Smirking at the apparent fear in her eyes, a thrill soared through his body and mind. This triggered a pleasure, something he could consider to be _fun._ Walking forward, he made her do the opposite by stepping back. He headed towards the edge of the building without releasing her sweater. Finally trapping her against it, he let go. Since she was short, she wouldn't fall over even if he pushed her, but she was clearly terrified.

"So it was _you_ who snitched on me."

She closed her eyes and started breathing hard. He realized that he did not have to do much to scare her.

"What? Scared of heights...squealing pig?" he said in a low, hard voice.

Her head turned away from his face. She attempted to slip away but his arms held onto the edge on both of her sides, leaving her no way out.

"Please," she whispered when her shoulders touched the side of his arms.

So the nerd had the ability to plead, it did not come off as a surprise though. He supposed it was all she knew how to do. "First, tell me. Why would you snitch on me?"

She did not answer right away, and when she did, the nerd had the audacity to lie to him, much to his chagrin. Finally, she gave in. "Smok-king…is b-bad."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What was she? One of those goody-goody girls with high morals and beliefs? He knew smoking was "bad" as she had put it, but he did not give a damn.

"But you're not the one smoking. So why would you care?" he sneered.

She let out a noise, as if clearing her throat, "It's not allowed on s-school g-grounds."

Honestly, who did she think she was telling him what he should know? She was definitely those kinds of girls that he hated. The type who was daddy's little girl and who never did anything wrong. She wasn't pretty though, like those spoiled brats, yet he had a feeling that she thought of herself highly.

"No one goes against me without a fight, little bitch."

Her eyelids opened a little in surprise but she closed them tightly again.

"Why aren't you looking at me when I'm talking to you?" he neared her face after a moment, "Don't like how my breath smells?"

She began trembling when he neared and attempted not to scrunch up her nose.

He smirked then stood straight. "Don't move or I'll push you over."

She listened as her eyes opened when he backed off a little and stared at the ground. He grinned sadistically when he pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. The little flame ignited the end of it and he blew in while she closed her eyes.

A burst of smoke blew on her face, spreading throughout her skin until it flowed upward with the air. He could tell she was holding her breath when she remained still. So she wanted to play the hard way?

He leaned even closer as mini red pimples became more visible, and blew more smoke onto her nose. He watched her purple thick framed glasses turn foggy. Putting the cigarette to his lips, he blew again and again, knowing she was going have to breathe sometime.

At last, the smoke entered through her breathing and she coughed loudly. But he did not stop and quickly aimed to blow any left directly into her mouth. He noticed the heavy metal braces that covered her teeth. Her hand went up to cover it while she coughed to block the continuous smoke.

"Stop-p." Her eyes were turning red with hot tears and stingy irritation. She most definitely never inhaled this much smoke before. Why did not it surprise him? It was fairly obvious.

"I can't hear you," he lied while he took another puff.

"Please, stop." The coughing had subsided after various, fast intakes of air, though her eyes were completely red.

His hand with his cigarette held onto her chin, forcing it open with his pale fingers before moving it up to his face, and he slowly blew the rest into her mouth in a straight line with a few wisps going into the air. At the start of it, her hands latched onto his arm that was held her chin as her body gave a sudden lurch, most likely ready to gag or choke due to the short breaths that sounded.

When he almost finished, he spoke, "Next time, stay out of my damn business, you little fucker."

She nodded, tears falling, and sounds of wheezing were heard. He threw the cigarette to the side while jerking his arm from her hands, stepped back and gave her a hard look. She was still trying to breathe in some air probably but he took her glasses off, ignoring her sudden protests and how she reached up to him to grab them back.

"No, please. I need those."

"These hideous glasses? What use would they be? It only makes you uglier."

He raised it above his head, her hand not even close in reaching them. He measured her about a foot shorter than him before she attempted to tip-toe.

"Please. I'm sorry! I won't bother you again! Please, give them back."

Damn, her voice was so annoying sounding. This girl was a complete mess. Yet he smirked at her foolishness. She was so weak and more so with all those tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's not enough for me to give them back to you. You caused me trouble. Why would I return them just like that?"

"I did not mean to. I'm really sorry. I'll do anything. I can't see without them and—"

"Anything?"

She nodded while blinking the tears that were clouding her vision more. He lowered his hand and traced her red cheek with the glasses. When she tried to take them, he pulled his hand away.

"What could I possibly want from an ugly nerd like you?"

She sniffed then swallowed, "I'll…do your homework."

He laughed slightly, "I'm not stupid. I don't need help with that."

"Then…"

He thought about it, feeling powerful. It was an amazing feeling over a person, despite it being such a weakling.

"I always wondered," he began and backed her to the edge again, "if you were as fat as you looked."

She gasped in shock.

"Take that ugly sweater off," he demanded in malice.

She did not move.


	4. Chapter 3: Payback

_Predator and Prey_

**Payback**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_Lost in my own world,_

_I somehow collided paths with you._

—

—

The moving clouds cast shadows that covered everything beneath with darkness, which was followed by the sun's light. It had a surreal effect and her blurry sight only enhanced it further. _Like a dream._ Though, she could have sworn the sky was cloudless just a few seconds ago. It was unreal.

For a moment, she thought she misheard him or that this wasn't actually happening. But why was there this churning knot in the pit of her stomach that wasn't letting her breathe properly without tasting something extremely salty and disgusting in her throat?

_It was a nightmare._

"I guess you don't want the glasses back," he said as his hand reached past the edge and dangled them in the air.

His closeness brought her out of the hypnotizing reverie but did not stop the sickening feeling from threatening to burst out of her mouth.

"No..." she said weakly and grabbed his arm in worry.

"No what? No you don't care?" he mocked while his free hand ripped her grasp off his arm.

That brute action froze her, causing her eyes to widen before becoming visually nervous. His voice was harsh, without mercy, and it made her remember when she was younger. They had always yelled at her in that same tone for doing something wrong.

"I'll do something else... not this," she tried to reason and calm down at the same time.

"But I really want to know if you're fat. Don't disappoint me. I'm _really_ curious," he intended the emphasis to sound more malicious since she wasn't cooperating with his demand.

She was trembling again, eyes squinting to the glasses behind her then to his black shirt. He could almost taste the pure fear she was emitting. She was like a deer in headlights— no, like a deer face to face with a hungry wolf.

"I'm not a patient person," he said pushing his body against hers, crushing her to the hard surface. It was a physical warning that stated he could easily destroy her at any given chance.

"No."

Her voice was stronger, more decided even with his tall frame dangerously over her. His onyx eyes darkened along with his mood. "You don't want to make me angry... or I'll be forced to do something that you'll regret. It's really high up here, don't you think so?"

She briefly closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly.

_He doesn't mean it. He doesn't mean it._

"Listen," he grabbed hold of her neck, "When I want you to answer, you better say something."

She sniffed, terrified. His left hand was cold, long fingers circling much of her neck. He wasn't going to stop. She had to think on how to deal with this but couldn't, not when she was aware that whatever choice she made would affect her negatively, no matter what.

"If I d-do this... will I get—"

"You'll get them back. Why would I want to hold onto them?" he spat, his closed hand remained.

She had barely nodded when he gave a smirk. Releasing his hand, he took a couple of steps back to give her some room but stayed at a close distance in case she decided to do something stupid and run. Slowly, she grabbed the ends of the sweater. His eyes were glued on her hands and he half wondered if she would go through it or not.

Her shaking hands let go of the ends as chaste realization kicked in and fresh tears fell. He knew it. The bitch can't even do something as simple as taking a sweater off. His thoughts stopped in its trail when she had pulled her arms from the sleeves instead. With her arms now inside the large sweater, she dipped her head in.

_Ah._

She was halfway out of the sweater when she wanted to stop and be hidden inside with the warmth. That sickening feeling was worsening, tightly twisting her insides. This was so wrong. Her hands had functioned without her complete awareness, having used her fear as fuel. When the sweater slipped out of her head, she instantly cowered and held it so it would cover most her upper body.

"Let me see," his tone was monotonous.

She lowered her eyes in shame when she dropped the sweater in amidst of her uncontrollable trembling. She didn't understand any of this. Why was he so cruel to her? She swallowed despite her throat being tremendously dry. Quick thoughts of her destroyed lunch flashed in her mind as he came closer. She stiffened when his chin touched the side of her head.

"Not bad. So this does prove that you're a girl. Did you know that half the school was betting whether you were actually a man?"

She could feel him smirking against her head. His comment hurt but it didn't register into her full understanding. And at the same time, that remark wasn't the worse she heard that was directed at her. Still, due to the current circumstances, she felt so utterly exposed, so vulnerable. That was more frightful than anything else she experienced combined.

"Though, it does make me wonder," he whispered as moved his head for a better look, his left hand touched her bare shoulder and she jerked, "Whether _these_ are real. Why else would you hide them?"

His cold hand suddenly grabbed one of her breasts and she whimpered in complete bewilderment. She was paralyzed; no one has ever touched her in that way. He chuckled lowly in her ear, "Very_ nice._"

Small hands that were lifeless after losing a layer of protection were now pushing his chest for him to let go. It became harder for her to see, the tears more constant and stingy. He ignored the small force on his front and smirked.

"Who knew that under that oversized sweater you wear revealing tops?"

She, in her mind, thought this was the only time she did so. She was rather late this morning and threw on a simple tank top when she forgot to do the laundry last night. It wasn't as if she was going to take the sweater off anyway, never feeling comfortable doing that at school. It was ironic that it happened today.

She was wrenched from her thoughts when his hand squeezed, her heart accelerated so much that the loud pounding was all she could hear in her eardrums. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Don't..."

"You allowed me to, remember?" his voice teased darkly before noticing something, "What's this? You're not wearing a bra. How... _surprising_."

She whimpered again, finally realizing that too, and reprimanded herself for being so... _idiotic. _So stupid.

He squeezed again, more brutally as he felt her carefully, as if determining something. His other hand dropped the glasses that made a small noise upon impact and brought it to her waist, "Your whimpering only amuses me more. Do you know that?"

She was terrified of what he was aiming to do next. His hand trailed up her flat stomach, heading towards her unprotected breasts, alarming her more than ever.

"Stop... please," she had a strong feeling to hide and run. But she couldn't, she was trapped between the edge and his body. _This isn't happening. I'm invisible. I always have been to people. Why can't this be the same?_

"I don't want to," he then stepped away a few inches, the hand under her thin top retreating as a new idea came into mind.

"Take the sweats off. I wonder whether you wear a thong—"

He didn't finish because he heard a door open from the distance. Both froze, he momentarily stared with anger in his eyes.

"Shit," he cursed and let go of her completely.

Deciding quickly, he grabbed her chin, "Don't move from here. And don't make a sound. If you do, I'll _kill_ you."

Fearfully, she nodded and tried to stop her sobs, now that there was hope that someone would come and end this humiliation. He walked away and turned a corner to find Hatake by the door looking around for something.

"Coming to check up on me?" Sasuke said bored, covering up his anger.

"Oh, Uchiha," Kakashi turned to him, "Actually, no. I'm looking for Ms. Haruno. She has a call waiting in my office. I was told she comes up here."

"I don't know who she is," said Sasuke rudely, impatiently waiting for the man to leave already.

Kakashi took another glance around, "You haven't seen someone around here then?"

"I'm the only one here."

"I see. Why are _you_ here?" he asked suspiciously.

_Think quick. I don't need him to interfere with my business_. "The girls never leave me alone," lied Sasuke effortlessly.

Hatake nodded, "I understand. I was that way too. Except I— erm, never mind. If you do see a girl with pink hair, tell her to come to my office. The call is rather important."

"Hn." _Pink hair?_

Kakashi went to the door but stopped, "Don't be late for your next class."

"I know." Sasuke bit down an insult.

The door closed, leaving him free to go back to his tormenting.

_Haruno, is it?_

He now had a name to call that ugly nerd, though it just hit him that he never bothered with a name, being used to call her by whatever he wanted. Walking back, his dark eyes were filled with thrill and found her turned away from him overlooking the roof's edge. He quietly went to her and put his arms to her sides, trapping her expertly. She didn't even expect it. Was she this fucking clueless?

"Didn't I tell you not to move?" he said lowly.

She jumped startled and tried to turn towards him. He didn't let her by not allowing her body to have a chance to move against the surface, "What were you looking at?"

"N-Nothing," she said weakly.

He looked over her head, crushing her more. At the bottom, he saw the school's security guard talking on his cell phone. "You weren't trying to—"

"No!" she said quickly but it was useless. He knew her intentions.

"I was simply asking," he smirked, moving his mouth to her ear, "Now, where were we?"

She shivered.

And it delighted him.

Then he noticed she had her glasses back on. Angrily, he took them off and dropped them further away on the cement, "We're not done yet."

"But—"

"Take this off."

He began to pull her sweats down while she held onto them. "Let go," he ordered, grabbing one of her hands and yanked it away. Snaking his arm around her waist, he pulled her to him, her back against his chest, as his fingers slipped into the hem.

She cried louder when her pants fell into a heap around her feet. Loosening his grasp, he swayed back a bit as his head looked down.

"I'm actually disappointed," he said moments later, "Plain white underwear."

She had nice legs though for being so short. Still, he was not satisfied. The want to humiliate her only grew; to the point where he wanted to see her beg for forgiveness on her knees.

"Is your hair color natural?" he asked putting his nose against it.

She nodded hesitantly; loose strands from the back tickled his neck.

"Hn. I don't believe you."

"It is," she said, almost pleadingly.

"Only one way to find out," he barely touched the top of her underwear when she let out a scream.

He quickly slapped his hand over her mouth and briefly saw the security guard look around alert before he brought her down to the ground with him. Once hidden from view, his back went against the edge, holding her between his legs, as he continued to cover and muffle her screams.

_Bitch._

Deciding to wait for a while until he was sure no one would come to investigate up here, he tightened his grasp so she wouldn't get away. Her screaming had stopped, probably hoarse from crying. She shifted uncomfortably on the ground, tucking her legs towards her chest but his arm was already there.

"Want to sit on my lap?" he whispered, lowering his long legs.

She shook her head while she swallowed.

"Too bad then. Either way, I'm not letting you go." And for measure, his arm around her tightened painfully, causing her to make another muffled noise.

To pass the time, he buried his nose into her hair. For an ugly looking nerd, she smelled sweet. He tried to determine the scent of her shampoo. It was flowery, artificial though. It wasn't until she sneezed that he took his hand off her mouth.

He wiped his hand on the side of his leg and glanced at his watch. Five minutes until the bell rang. So soon? He thought about skipping class to sit here instead. It was certainly more interesting than the subject of history.

Making up his mind, his arm settled down so his hands could take hold of her waist, "Lie on your side."

Unbuckling her legs, she did what she was told, resting her body on the cement ground. He went closer to her, an arm holding up his torso and hovered over her body.

His fingers dug into her jaw, "Don't you fucking even think about telling anyone about this. I won't just kill you anymore... I'll _rape_ you, understand?"

She blinked, seeing nothing but a blurred figure on top of her. She could only see the blackness of his hair and the paleness of his face.

"When I stand up, don't scream or move until I leave."

Nodding absentmindedly, she tried to reclaim her calm and breathing. He cupped her rear, "You better have learned your lesson."

She didn't move a muscle when he stood and left. When she was sure she was alone, she sat up and pulled her sweats back on. She reached for her sweater and slipped it on quickly and searched the ground for her glasses. The bell rang but she didn't care for once about being late. It was difficult; she was on the ground, her hand reaching and searching for her glasses, hoping they weren't broken.

She finally found them; once putting them on, everything became clear. She saw her destroyed lunch bag, the dirtied sandwich and her backpack. She grabbed her backpack and ran to the exit, feeling so dirty herself.

As soon as the hallways were deserted, she headed to the girls' restrooms but a group of chatting girls were in the way. They were too busy in their conversation that they didn't pay attention to the short girl trying to enter. Though she, miraculously, managed to saunter by the girls without touching them. She walked into the nearest stall, shutting and locking it soundlessly behind her. She felt an instant lurch of disgust when she realized she was staring at something in the toilet that someone did not flush.

Putting her hand to her nose, she closed the lid and flushed while she sat down, dropping her bag onto the semi-dirty floor. Crying silently, she never felt so violated in her life.

After the sound of female laughter died down, all that was heard was the buzzing of the florescent lights and dripping water from a facet. She shakily waited until everyone left to let the sobs out. She felt so dirty. Hugging herself, she leaned forward burying her face on her knees.

* * *

Sasuke was sitting in his seat bored when he remembered this was the class he shared with the nerd. He smirked slightly waiting for her to appear in the doorway. No doubt she'll have that sweater back on but he knew what she was hiding underneath. He looked at his hand. Her breasts were really soft but firm. _Must be real_—

He stopped; on a logical level he didn't understand why he did that. All he had wanted was to scare her, maybe push her around a bit for revenge. He hadn't meant to go that far, but the thrill was too overpowering to resist.

A thrill that he didn't understand.

It reminded him of an incident when Naruto had insulted him once, years ago, by calling him gay. He had acted on anger, which ended up beating the idiot to a bloody pulp, but Naruto had his own shots at him as well. He couldn't even remember the reason Naruto why called him that in the first place yet it didn't lessen the anger.

Sasuke knew he wasn't gay, even if it was strange that he felt nothing for the opposite sex, of course, excluding irritation and disgust over the things they did. There was nothing emotional in a sense but nothing sexual either, even when girls literally threw themselves on him, offering to do desirable things for him. Guys mainly hated him for being such a girl magnet but he didn't care because he never took up on any of those offers. Shino had suggested he might be an asexual, since it was possible, and that made sense, more sense than what the dobe said, so he believed it.

Now he wasn't as sure. What was it about that hideous nerd that brought this burning curiosity or this animalistic urge to tear her apart? There were other nerds and geeks in this school, naturally. But all were as expected. The pink nerd was different, and by different, it was that curvaceous body he was thinking of. Why hide it? Then again, that face and atrocious hair color did not do that body justice.

"Class has started," barked the woman, "Open your textbooks and start reading the assigned pages!"

The students quietly groaned to themselves. He had not moved; his eyes on the closed door. He couldn't have scared her that much. She deserved it but it was strange that she wasn't here. Surely studies were her main priority. He wouldn't be surprised if she had a perfect record or something.

"Uchiha!"

He glanced at the teacher with a nasty scowl on her face. Narrowing his eyes, the hand he had been looking at previously opened the textbook and to the page slowly. As he flipped through the pages, he couldn't help to smirk at his accomplishment though. It turned out to be so easy and amusing.

There was the sound of the door opening, once again students gladly became distracted and he looked as well very expectedly.

A silver mane popped in.

_What now?_ Thought Sasuke as he remembered the detention he had to serve because of this man.

"Good afternoon, Hatake-san," said the teacher nicely, too informal for use in talking to a colleague.

Kakashi barely spared her a glance, "Good afternoon, may I speak with Ms. Haruno?"

She was in a sort of girlish daze before snapping into her usual attitude, "Haruno. Go quickly!"

Sasuke stared at the empty seat in the front row while the class looked around the room. Guess she really went unnoticed throughout the entire school then.

Someone whispered, "Who's that?"

His suspicions were confirmed.

"Haruno," she said again and looked quizzically at the front, only to find nothing.

Kakashi had looked as well, "I take it she's not here then?"

Sasuke scoffed. _Obviously._

"Sorry for interrupting," apologized Kakashi and left.

"Get back to work!"

_Where was that nerd?_ He thought. _Maybe she's still up there crying pathetically._ A flash of her unfocused emerald eyes appeared on his mind. _I wouldn't be surprised._

He turned a page before thinking, _I didn't know her eyes were green._

_

* * *

_

She didn't know how long she was stayed locked in the bathroom stall. Subconsciously, she knew it was well into class and that she was late for the first time. But she couldn't will herself to stand as if her feet were stapled onto the floor.

She hadn't stayed in the restrooms this long since she was twelve, having nowhere on campus to go to during lunch and breaks. That was until she had discovered the library. There was also the fact that she was laughed at for having a piece of toilet paper stuck on the sole of her shoe once. And she, of course, didn't notice. That memory made her cry louder, unable to hear the door suddenly open.

"Hey, who's in here?"

She inhaled a sharp breath, hoping it wasn't another bully. It was the last thing she needed right now.

There were footsteps as the door swung closed and stopped in front of the stall she was in. She could see shoes before hearing a series of knocks. "Open up!"

Not accustomed to being yelled at, she obliged, her trembling fingers switched the lock. It opened, revealing a purple-haired woman. Sakura recognized her from the school staff. The woman was named Anko, known for being strict since she was the head of detention punishments and because she strolled around the school catching people who were breaking school rules.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sakura answered quietly, "I don't feel so good."

"You're sick? Then you should have gone home! Get up. You're a mess."

Sakura nodded while Anko picked her backpack, "You're Haruno, right? And you were here the whole time?"

She nodded slowly, not finding her voice. She really did feel sick, feeling her whole body drenched in cold sweat. What if they found out? That thought worsened when Anko spoke, "You're wanted in Hatake-san's office."

That could only mean that she was in trouble.

"It was something about... I don't know. I forgot. Just ask Kakashi— I mean, Hatake-san."

Sakura's mind was in a worrying frenzy as the two walked to the counseling office. If they asked her what happened, she wouldn't be able to say it. It was too humiliating. What if they didn't believe her and believed _him_ instead? She had failed the history exam earlier that week because the professor accused her of cheating. She was too shocked to even protest, not that she could since she never had to deal with those situations before. But the point was that her teacher had _believed_ him.

They reached the door but Sakura didn't notice until Anko opened it and went right in.

Kakashi was sitting at his desk, lowering his book, "Anko-san, what did I say about knocking?"

"Like you ever knock," muttered Anko, "Here's Haruno."

But Kakashi's attention was already on the girl, "Why are you crying?"

Anko answered for her, "She's feeling sick."

Sakura had her head lowered, relieved that she didn't have to talk, and Kakashi studied her thoughtfully, "Thank you, Anko-san. I will take it from here."

Anko grumbled something like "You better lazy man" and turned to the door. He waited until she left, "Sit down, Ms. Haruno."

He also grabbed the box of tissues on a cabinet behind him and offered them to her. "Your mother called."

She immediately tensed, panicked that something bad must have happened.

Kakashi noticed just as quick, "It's nothing to worry about! She had to leave on urgent business. She left the key where she usually puts it so you can let yourself in."

Sakura let out a shaky breath, "Why?"

"I'm not sure. She said she left a note in the kitchen. Now I'll sign an early release form so you can go home and rest."

Was that it? She wondered. "Thank you."

"Do you need a ride there? Perhaps a bus—"

She shook her head, "I'll walk."

"You're sick. We wouldn't want you to faint on the streets," he lightly joked.

Then what were they proposing she do? That was her only method of transportation.

"I'll take you."

She was surprised at his offer. Regardless of knowing him as the school's counselor, she didn't know him very well, not needing to come into this office for sessions in anger management or anything like that.

"All I need is the principal's permission and we'll be on our way. What do you say?" he smiled.

His smooth voice was calming and she couldn't help but to find herself trusting him, so she agreed. "All right, let's go. You have your bag with you, right?"

Standing, she put on her backpack while he opened a drawer and grabbed something before leading her outside. He took a second to lock his door and proceeded to walk towards the end of the hall, she followed him close behind. When they arrived, she solely was not met with the familiar office smell of fresh printed paper from the machines, flowers and a variety of perfumes, but with stares as well.

Kakashi didn't acknowledge the staring as she shifted uncomfortably when they stood in front of the main desk.

"May I speak with Sarutobi-sama?" asked Kakashi.

The brown-haired woman looked up at him, "Aren't you supposed to be watching kids or something?"

"Ah, Yumi-san," chuckled Kakashi, "As much as I love my babysitting job, this comes first because it concerns a student's health."

Sakura saw the woman's eyes look at her, which softened immediately. "I'll see if he's available." Yumi returned swiftly, "Go right in."

"Thank you," he turned to the girl, "Ms. Haruno, you can sit down while I talk to him."

Sakura obeyed and sat down the cushioned chairs, which were more comfortable than any chair she sat on during all her years in high school. As she waited, she didn't miss the continuous stares the office employees sent her way. She was eased when Kakashi came back and told her it was approved.

They headed outside to the parking lot as he took out his keys. His car was gray and small. While Kakashi unlocked the door for her, he looked across the lanes to a black motorcycle. "Guess I'm going to have to talk to him about that too," he murmured to himself.

Not knowing what he was talking about, she stayed quiet as she got in and when he started the car. It was awkward. He must have noticed that too because he turned on the radio, "Anything of preference?" She shook her head so he settled for a random station.

"Where do you live?" asked Kakashi as he drove out of the campus.

Sakura told him her address, letting the song fill the silence between them afterwards.

Her house came into view about twenty minutes later and he parked in front of it. She thanked him gratefully as she opened the car door.

"You're welcome. Try to get some rest. If you're not feeling well tomorrow morning, just call the school and you'll be excused." He smiled at her warmly before adding, "You can talk to me about anything you're having problems with. You know that right?"

Images of what happened earlier invaded her mind, recalling her fear. _Tell him. Tell him!_ She opened her mouth. Instantly, a threat flooded her hearing.

"_I won't just kill you anymore... I'll rape you, understand?" _

"O-Okay."

She walked towards her door, aware he was still there, probably to make sure she got in safely. Retrieving the house key from a nearby flower pot, she had trouble putting it in because she was being watched, not that it was necessarily Hatake-san that was making her nervous. She still had the chance to tell him what _he_ did. But she had confided in him before by telling him about the smoking incident. What if he had told _him_?

The lock clicked and she entered thinking it wasn't possible. Hatake was one of the nicest staff members of the school. He wouldn't do that. Would he?

She did feel somewhat safe but needed her mother to be here. Remembering that her mother left a note, she walked to the kitchen and found a small piece of paper. It was brief, notifying her that it was indeed a business trip and that it might take two days at the least. Sakura was worried. Her mother had been acting strange for the past few days, coughing violently while she was in the house.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she didn't eat lunch either. There was food in the refrigerator but she knew she wouldn't be able to swallow anything besides her saliva. Her throat still hurt and she massaged it while leaving her bag to run upstairs. She caught a glimpse of her appearance in the hall mirror so she stopped and stared at her reflection. No wonder Anko-san, Hatake-san and everyone else looked at her with such pity.

Sea green eyes behind the thick glasses were bloodshot, her face puffy and red along with some dry snot stuck below the holes of her nose. Her usual neat pink braids were becoming loose and frizzy. Using her sleeve, she wiped her nose roughly, a lump formed again in her throat as her eyes burned. Running to her room, she fell on her bed and buried her face into a pillow, crying hysterically into it.

Long minutes passed until she dragged her body under the covers and tried to relax but it was impossible with the incident imprinted in her memory, playing over and over.

His cruel voice.

Her fear.

His stench of cigarettes.

Her tears.

His cold touch.

Burying herself deeper in her bed, she continued to cry. To her horrible realization, there was something that was nagging in her mind repeatedly too.

There was a small part of her, but a part nonetheless, that may have actually _enjoyed_ everything he did to her.


	5. Chapter 4: The Hunt

_Predator and Prey_

**The Hunt**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_I wish to disappear, escape, and fly away—_

_So why do these dubious thoughts plague my mind and hold back my battered wings?_

—

—

_There was a vast feeling that she was submerged in darkness, her ears had deafened, but she had no idea where she was. The only awareness she was able to acknowledge were the long pale fingers leisurely trailing up her exposed stomach, leaving an icy, burning sensation that felt like ants scurrying chaotically under her flesh. Her limbs were immobile, paralyzed by his simple and bitter touch. Unable to breathe, her lungs suffocated in the poison coming from his mouth; from lips poised elegantly in a cunning smirk. She was being attacked merciless but without injury. There weren't any bruises inflicted or blood spilled, and yet, he was hurting her immensely, leaving her utterly powerless against him._

_**No. You're not.**_An echo of her subconscious voiced in her head weakly at first, momentarily slowing down his fingers on her skin until it became gratifying once more. _**Stop this. Just move! Get away from him!**_

_As if he heard her thoughts, his smirk curled in demented malevolence, heavily hinting the outcomes of what can happen and what he was capable of doing. Spellbound, she could not remove her eyes from his mouth that had opened slightly, making her breathe in more of his venom. Feeling so cold all of a sudden, a sense of drowsiness settled in her system and prohibited her from seeing anything else but his mouth. And instead, her sense of touch magnified in its place profoundly._

_In the next second, his ruthless hands placed themselves on her body, lingering before closing to clench onto her shoulders, arms, stomach, and hips. She tried to gasp and move, but nothing she willed to do was occurring. What was going on? Something successfully broke her out of her stare. Viridian eyes darted toward the movements and made them wide as saucers. She felt a shrill scream wanting to erupt but was stuck in her vocal cords, almost in a choke. Her eyes took in the horrifying sight. He had four sets of arms. Many hands were beginning to knead her body savagely. Sudden sounds of fabric ripping exploded in her eardrums_—

Her legs were the first to jolt tremendously, the rest of her body following, as she was awakened brutally by her subconscious. Finding herself drenched in cold sweat, she tried to swallow but grimaced at the razor-sharp pain in her throat that reached her ears, already bearing with the extreme pounding of her heart. Blinking, all she managed to see were faint outlines of objects in the dark. A side of her nose was aching, making her bring a hand upward to rub it, only to come in contact with thick frames. She had slept with her glasses on, and at once, she comprehended that she was in bed. A shaky breath was released into the room.

_**It was just a dream... I'm okay. **_Even as she repeatedly reassured herself, it was difficult to calm down and remain that way. She blinked rapidly, afraid to keep her eyes closed for more than necessary. She hadn't had a nightmare in years, so this was surely unexpected and frightening. To find some form of distraction in the stillness, she looked at her digital clock, bright red numbers reading **11:49 PM.**

Surprised that it was still the same day, despite how close it was to midnight, it was hard for her to believe all that happened hours before. Though the memories were etched in her thoughts all this time, in actuality it was the whole incident that occurred at all which was surreal. How could something so malicious happen to someone like her? Of course, being a nerd, she had received the end of cruel, offensive comments and actions, but this was too... _much_ for her to handle.

Not moving from where she had jolted, there was fact that it was well before morning and it panicked her to fall asleep again. In need, her arms grabbed a nearby pillow and clutched it, all the while wondering where she had placed her only teddy bear, which was a comfort reminder of her secure childhood.

Her stomach growled loudly, thoughts about the stuffed animal left her head, as it dawned that she still hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning. However, it didn't encourage her to get up from her warm spot on the bed to go downstairs where it was much darker and emptier. Longing for her mother's embrace, she turned a nearby light on instead, and watched the shadows created on the walls, morphing into so many ghastly abstract images. The growing sounds of her hungry stomach were constant and ignored as she stared off into nothing, trying to push away the vivid remnants of the nightmare. Whether it was from the fear or hunger, she felt so awake. Going back to sleep would be impossible right now.

A tingling and painful sensation began to stir in her right arm, making her aware that blood wasn't circling like it was supposed to. She shifted and released the arm she had slept on. Her clothes were suddenly too warm, making her uncomfortable than what she already was. Gradually sitting up, her hands grabbed onto the sweater's ends and instantly froze, reminding her of the same manner when—She shook her head, willing the thought away as she dropped her hands. The minutes ticked. More long shadows and shapes were created by her eyes. Blinking, she looked at her clock forgetting that time existed. **12:27 AM.** Time passed quickly but it wasn't fast enough. She still had to face the rest of the night.

Making a decision, she pushed the covers away, paused before setting her feet onto the carpet. That was when she noticed that her shoes were still intact. Hurriedly, she pulled them off and before she lost the courage, hurried out of her room and into the bathroom. She was met with her reflection as she switched the lights on. Her appearance was a little better than earlier but she couldn't tolerate looking at herself: bloodshot eyes and pink-spotted puffy skin made her look like an ugly creature. An uglier creature than what she already was.

Her hand rose and crashed into the edge of the mirror, in attempt to open the supply cabinet behind it, especially to rid of the reflection that was taunting her so. There were various items sitting on the shelves for several purposes. Her eyes weren't taking in anything until a small bottle caught her attention.

It was white and seemed harmless. She picked it up and turned to read the brand, hearing the pills clatter against each other inside, echoing in the silent bathroom. She stared at it a bit longer before popping it open and pouring two tiny tablets onto her hand, hoping that it will grant her a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The cloud of smoke transcended over his head and dispersed into various directions in the air; obsidian orbs watched the fairly disorganized flow attentively while he tapped the end of the cigarette to the side. Red-orange specks flickered as ashes fell besides him. He was lying on his house rooftop, clad in a black shirt and pants, almost blending with night like a being of darkness. The frost, cold air was not a bother to his skin that toughened over the years. With a bare arm behind his head, he lazily stared up the stars scattered across the sky and brought the cigarette again to his lips.

He could not sleep. It was nearing one in the morning, and it usually wouldn't be a problem since he arrived at school late anyway, though this time was different. A force of adrenaline was still in his veins, pumping his blood and increasing the restlessness in his mind.

A low chuckle was released along with continuous smoke. He couldn't believe he was thinking about a girl, much less a repulsive nerd. In truth, he had not stopped thinking about her since she didn't go to class that afternoon and he didn't know why. To somewhat settle his curiosity, he went up the rooftop to check if she was there after class. All he found was the destroyed lunch and a cigarette; the leftovers of his fun.

Concentrating to where his eyes were directed, he found that it was easier to see the stars tonight. The last time he did sort of thing on his own was years ago, which back then the city lights around him would drown out the stars regardless where you stood or how high the building was. Here in the outskirts of the sleepless city, it was definitely quieter but tedious. A breeze rustled the nearby trees' branches, bringing a soft woman's voice into his hearing. _"Make a wish, Sasuke-kun."_

He let himself dwell on the tenderness of the long lost voice for a few seconds before scoffing and sitting up. He could see the other residences that were far from his house, all with the lights off. He took a deep breath of night air, that wasn't as satisfying as the taste of smoke, and calmly it let go. There was still an urge to do something and it was beginning to irritate him. Overlooking the quiet neighborhood, his eyes moved to the part where it was most lively, the city. Deciding on a whim, he decided to leave for a little midnight ride.

Grabbing his helmet, he got down and headed towards his bike. The motorcycle's ignition roared to life in a matter of seconds that interrupted the motionless of the night. This would be much better and he drove towards the city. Other vehicles were scarce on the highways and streets, leaving him free to roam as fast as he wanted, allowing him to approach the city faster than it normally would take. He didn't worry about the police. They wouldn't be patrolling in this area anyway.

The bright lights of billboards and buildings reflected against the mirrored part of his helmet. It was late; however, many teenagers and other people were out late, doing whatever they did. He drove past the brightened streets to a more secluded area to the north. As he rode, the scenery changed to a darker one, where people that meddled with the law and members of Yazukas did business. Now and then, he would pass by selfish sellers tempting their already desperate customers into buying more of their illegal items.

He focused on his destination and made a turn into an alley, following it to the dead end where a large group came into view. There were about fifteen people conversing, drinking and smoking more than just cigarettes. As he neared, he counted six males in total and the rest were female. It was easy to determine that they were a pugnacious group, which was probably the reason why so many attractive females dressed in skimpy clothes flocked to them. Stopping at a close distance, he made his presence known and instantly the group became alert and guarded.

At this proximity, he saw that they were older than him, perhaps around mid-twenties. It appeared he found the group he was looking for so he got off the motorcycle while removing his helmet. The males were now giving him suspicious and dirty looks. One in particular brushed off a girl, whose ass he had been groping, to the side to approach him. While Sasuke recognized most of the males, the person coming towards him was someone new.

The man in question was rather short in height but did not look intimated by the Sasuke's arrival. "What do you want...pretty boy?"

Sasuke didn't bother to answer and it clearly offended the man who spoke.

"The pussies and fags are on the other side of town," he sneered. The group behind him began to laugh.

Onyx orbs narrowed, though his face remained expressionless. Another male with red hair had realized something and walked to the first, talking in a whisper. While they discussed, Sasuke looked past the expensive cars and eyed their speed bikes covered in exaggerated designs of skulls, dragons, semi-naked women, and so forth. His was simple: black with red flames.

"Ah, you're _Uchiha,_" the man said after a few moments, and judging by the sudden tone, he was in fact the leader. "Heard you are, or should I say _were_, the fastest around here." He had looked at Sasuke in disgust, "Somehow I doubt that."

Sasuke again gave no reply. The women present began giggling and talking amongst themselves over how hot the stranger was. The man was not pleased that he was being ignored, "The name's Jun. I run these streets now."

"I didn't ask for a name," said Sasuke as he pulled out something from his pocket. The action caused an immediate reaction as several guns were taken out and aimed at him. However, Sasuke continued to pull the object out until a cigarette came into view. They also watched him take out a lighter and lit it; all were diminutively fixated in what he was doing.

Once it became apparent that nothing was going to occur, Jun grinned, "How about a little race? I'm not beatable like Masuyo was. That bastard."

The mentioned name was known to Sasuke. He must have been the last leader of this Yakuza and the one that lost to Sasuke a little over five months ago. Jun continued, "There'll be a prize. _Her_." He referred to the same girl he pushed away, dressed in mini skirt and opened top with her cleavage bursting out. Her face masked with makeup and was smacking on some gum while she gave him a lustful expression, obviously delighted with the idea.

Sasuke glanced at her for a second. The girl looked _used _up, despite her efforts of trying not to look trashy. He didn't have any trouble making his decision. "Not interested in any prize."

The girl, who had been licking at her lower lip in attempt to get his attention, had confusion on her features. It quickly turned into a displeased expression. Her so-called-friends around her snickered while also giving their share of lustful looks.

"For fun then?" Jun said with the hint of an evil smile, covered in the darkness, but was seen by Sasuke anyway.

Sasuke responded by throwing the cigarette to the side and returning to his motorcycle, which Jun in turn walked towards one of the bikes. As Sasuke put the helmet back in place, Jun had muttered a few words to the nearest member who nodded in complete understanding.

Both ignitions roared, Jun drove towards him, "We'll make this simple. The path will focus on the main streets and end right here. Deal?"

Every time Sasuke raced, there wasn't much that he remembered except the cold air and sharp winds cutting his skin. Of course he needed to focus where he was going, especially if it was night, but that came on instinct. This race was just another one without any significance. Though the other, whatever his name was, wasn't thinking the same. Sasuke had realized from the beginning that this race was most likely going to be rigged so the odds were against him. He wasn't stupid and was prepared for anything.

One of the females waited to throw the cloth, which he believed was a waste of time, to begin the race. When the cloth finally touched the ground, Sasuke let the same instinct take over. Soon both motorcycles were on the streets, cutting through some cars that honked. From the small mirror near the handle, he could see two others that were tailing him.

It didn't come off as a surprise as he drove onto another street abruptly. A loud crash sounded seconds later behind him. He accelerated; suddenly it didn't seem much like a challenge, and his hands tightened around the handles. Even at this speed and with swift turns, he avoided a single scratch. After a few minutes, the other was no where to be seen.

_That's it?_ He thought as he approached the same alley where they had left. The cheering of the other members stopped when they saw it wasn't their leader. Deciding not to linger around here any longer, Sasuke drove out again, proving the point. That was when Jun showed up, even though he wore a helmet, his aura radiated anger and embarrassment. Since when did racers of the city get this weak? Obviously the gangs around here were losing their touch. Sasuke scoffed, heading back home.

Three figures that stood on a building, overlooking the city, had watched the whole scene. The small breeze of the wind rustled their hair while their eyes followed the winner on the streets until he was out of sight. One of the males spoke, "He's good."

A redhead with glasses licked her lips appreciatively. "And he's hot!"

The taller of the two remained silent, wondering what his companions were up to now.

—

—

Though he had a risky experience, he didn't feel the usual satisfaction when he arrived at his house afterwards. The silence in the house contributed to this dull mood. It was simply boring or, most importantly, there was an absence of thrill. Still restless, he walked through the empty house in a slow pace, not stopping anywhere until he came across a clock.

It was past three in the morning; and with this fact, he thought about skipping school today. School only worsened the slight contempt and annoyance he was experiencing at the moment. He was not up for it. But there was something tugging on his curiosity. His black eyes hardened at once. The nerd had snuck onto his mind again.

What would it take for his mind to be free of this pathetic weakling? She was becoming an ugly parasite, which was completely contradictory considering she was so harmless. With a silent sigh, he began to rub the back of his neck in thought. It seemed like the only way his question would be answered is if he saw her again. There was a part of him that despised this scheme but he had to find a way to get her out, whatever it would take to do so.

* * *

The sky was surprisingly void of clouds, tempting to irk him further because of the bright day it was certainly going to be today. He entered the school building and it seemed that the usual routine was falling into place with students bustling around, doing whatever they did. However, he had an objective that had to be dealt with as soon as possible. That objective came in the form of strange pink hair and sea green eyes. Eyes filled with terror and worthless tears. A small smirk surfaced as he remembered the manner he had trapped her against the surface and her desperate pleas. Her body unexpectedly warm against his.

Not remembering exactly where the nerd's locker was located, he searched down the hall without the concern of other people interfering as they instantly made way for him. Recalling where he was headed the day he had first seen her by the lockers, he had an idea of where the location was. As he neared, it became quite obvious that no pink hair was in sight and altered his mood.

What was this feeling? Surely anger and impatience, but it consisted of something else that was... foreign. He didn't dwell long on feeling as he walked to the direction of his own locker, which hadn't been open since the first day of school. In a few short seconds, the lock clicked and he opened it. There weren't any personal items inside; the only objects were his school books stacked together and ignored as he looked at what was on the top.

It was the usual, though now larger in amount, pile of love letters scattered in the small compartment. Oh, now he remembered why he never bothered with his locker. The crappy written letters increased in number throughout his years in school as he gained more stalkers. Why there were open slots in front of each locker door was beyond him. And if this was the purpose, he wouldn't want one at all, but carrying the books back and forth wasn't an appealing thought either.

The thought of taking his lighter and burning them all, right then and there, was a better idea. Just as he was about to throw them each and every one out, he spotted a pink envelope underneath many others. There was a flash of the pink-haired nerd before his eyes, followed by the memory of how her trembling skin felt under his touch. His hands twitched for a moment as an urge emerged to touch that soft skin... to touch _her_ again, and the absolute look of terror in those viridian eyes accompanied the want to torment.

He closed the locker door, opting to get rid of the letters at some other time, and sensed someone coming towards him. With two movements of his feet, he avoided a collision as a blonde idiot slammed into the row of lockers.

"Itai!" yelled Naruto, rubbing his arm. "Why did you move?"

Sasuke let out a breath of annoyance. "Are you really asking me that stupid question, dobe?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head while he laughed. "It wasn't like I was going to glomp—" Sasuke mentally shuddered. "—you or anything! I was testing your reflexes! And he's sharp as always, huh Shino?"

The sunglass rimmed male approached the two, but did not voice his opinion, most likely about how dim-witted the blonde could be. Without another word, the three began to walk down the hallways.

"So?" asked Naruto, looking at Sasuke expectedly.

"So what?" replied Sasuke in a monotone. Naruto could never keep his mouth shut for more than a minute.

In return, Naruto's grinning expression turned into an exasperated one. "Did you put that punk in his place or not?"

_What punk?_ Sasuke thought questionably and the answer no sooner became apparent when _she _appeared in mind the next moment. The truly unsuspecting state she was in when he found her was laughable. And the manner in which she removed the sweater on his demand even more. "Of course."

"Who was he anyway?" asked Naruto, "Do I know him?"

Images of pink hair and green irises travelled behind his eyes. Unusual qualities that would have turned heads yet he doubted Naruto or Shino have seen her. He finally spoke before they parted ways, "It was no one important."

The day progressed normally and soon lunch hour rolled around. Sitting at his usual table, he looked bored and was unmoving, but onyx eyes were searching. Logic told him that she wouldn't dare to go to the rooftop after _that_ incident. Where could she possibly be then? The cafeteria was large and he had yet to see familiar pink hair. Classrooms and other parts of the school building except for the outside field and sport courts were off limits during lunch hour. It was a challenge, one that he was willing to take with extreme anticipation.

Still, the idea of having to search for a worthless girl caused him to be hesitant. He did tell her to not get in his business. She hadn't shown up so far, excluding the fact that she had not left his mind. He decided to wait before he wasted his time on searching. And that opportunity would come in history class. She couldn't hide any longer.

His expressionless face did not show annoyance when it became obvious that she was not in the classroom twenty minutes into class. His thumb moved across his pen roughly. The little pink bitch perhaps didn't show up at school today. Now, that was certainly upsetting. Both the curiosity and thrill weren't lessening and it appeared that nothing would placate it. After acknowledging this, he realized that coming to school today had been extremely pointless. He absolutely hated wasting his time and was ready to leave the classroom.

When the bell rang, he left quickly, intentionally skipping out of his last class, knowing that the dobe would question about him later but it was the least on his mind. He was immensely annoyed. What he needed was a punching bag, or more ideally, someone to punch the living daylights out of. He exited through the back of the building, planning to walk around a little to reduce the urge to hit someone, before taking off on his motorcycle.

He turned a corner and saw some troublemaking students from the junior class spray painting graffiti on the white walls, which weren't doing such a good job on it. Not caring either way, he prepared to leave when someone called his name.

"Uchiha-sama!"

The formality of it made him remember the time where he would be the leader. Not necessarily of a gang, the school ones were a bunch of wimps anyway. That would be the main priority of someone else that he didn't want to hear mentioned ever again. After realizing how pathetic their methods were, he distanced himself from the amateur troublemakers. Judging from the looks on their faces, they wanted to know their "leader's" motives. They didn't ask because they knew he wouldn't give an answer. The respect and loyalty towards him, however, remained.

"It's great seeing you around here again," said the male, bowing. If he bowed, that meant he was one of those amateurs from earlier, though his face didn't summon a name. "If you have time, I would like to you something, sir."

The boy must have known Sasuke didn't like to be lead anywhere, so he quickly snapped his fingers at two a couple of feet away. They nodded and soon brought a group consisting of four male geeks that lined up against the building, deathly afraid. How they got there while classes were in session was peculiar and perplexing... but possible.

"This one pissed his pants! Do you want your mommy to change your diaper?" one of the juniors sniggered.

Sasuke remained in a bored atmosphere. The juniors quickly noticed they weren't going to get praises from their idol.

"Want the first shot?" Sasuke was asked. Obsidian eyes travelled to the terrified faces as something in the back of his mind appeared.

"_I'll give you the first shot, Sasuke."_ _The older male said, allowing the young boy the opportunity to step out of his shadow, like he had always wanted._

"Uchiha-sama?"

His dark eyes moved from the geeks to the one speaking. "Don't fucking waste my time again."

"G-Gomen." The boy apologized, alarmed.

Sasuke walked away, hands in pockets. How he hated the naïve and downright idiots in this school.

* * *

The next morning came quickly, much to his pleasure, but it soon disappeared when he noticed there wasn't anyone by _that_ locker. No pink head in sight whatsoever. He decided that if the prey refused to come into his trap, he was going to have to hunt her down himself as a last resort. And there were several means of finding the nerd.

He didn't pay any mind to the sound of the ringing bell or the students rushing to class. Passing by his morning class, fully intending to skip it for today, he headed towards the rooftop for a quick smoke while he thought of a plan. Again, the doubt that anyone would know much about her was evident since he was almost certain she didn't have any friends. The only alternative would be to find out where she lived, and that required getting into the cabinet of student files, which were located in Hatake's office.

Abruptly changing direction, he walked towards said office in attempts of finding out if it would be vacant. Hatake was widely known to be late in arriving—in everything—so it'll give him a chance to retrieve the information he wanted. As he neared, however, a certain grudge emerged and he mentally went through a list of obscenities at the man for giving him detention. He once believed that old man understood him but that was a long time ago. In his first year of high school, everything changed.

The door opened and he cursed. So Hatake was here. He thought quickly by backing to the closest wall, not allowing himself to get caught wandering in the halls during class and getting another pointless detention. That's when pink hair slowly came into sight. At first, he couldn't quite believe it was the nerd of all people, yet a small smirk played on his lips. Things do end up going well for him. He waited until the door was closed to avoid any eavesdropping from Hatake.

She had not noticed him at all, which was expected, looking preoccupied in her own thoughts. Especially when she took a second to take a deep breath and switched the heavy book she was carrying onto her other arm. He watched in silence, observing her unpleasant face that made it obvious that something was troubling her. For an instant, he wondered if she dared to tell Hatake about what happened but he dismissed it. If there was one thing he was certain about the little nerd so far was that she was too weak to stand up for herself.

Still not realizing that she was being watched, she began to walk in opposite direction. And that was when he decided to make his presence known. "Where were you yesterday?"

The reaction was predictable. She swung on her heel startled, almost too fast that she nearly tripped over her feet. The thick glasses were in the way, the light reflecting them, but he could see her eyes widen. She stood in serious trepidation and looked like she was going to scream at any given moment. Her eyes turned to the closed door she came out of, seeking help. He purposely neared the door so she wouldn't think of going in there and cause a nuisance for him. If Sasuke remembered, Hatake usually spent most of his time reading his stupid porn. So that meant nothing was going to interrupt him. All was in his favor.

He took this time to study her while enjoying the effect his mere presence had on her. She wore another big sweater that made her shorter than she was. And though he knew what was under the sweater, it was a bit of a surprise that it didn't give a single hint of what she was hiding. The only difference was that she wore jeans today. The usual braided pink pigtails he barely took note on, which wasn't the case with her glasses. Why were those type still made?

"Were you afraid of me?" he asked in a low, amused voice.

Gulping, her lips parted and let out a small, fearful noise. Her frightened eyes looked downward, momentarily closing as she tried to calm herself down. When she realized it wasn't working, she willed her eyes open and took a step backward. He had not moved at all, not having the necessity to do so. As the seconds suddenly began to feel like minutes, an inner voice urged her to do something and not be a sitting duck in the mid of danger. With that as encouragement, she turned away and hurriedly walked away. His eyes narrowed, one thing clear on his mind, she was not going to escape so easily from him. In a couple of long strides, he reached her immediately.

"I hate it when people turn their back on me." His hand shot to her elbow, forcibly stopping her. She squirmed when he twisted her arm so she would face him. He was suddenly too close, breaking into her comfort zone, which he already broken into before.

"What's the hurry?" He smirked, eyeing the heavy book between them.

She froze, choosing to stare at anything else besides him. His grip tightened, fingers digging into her arm painfully, and she was reminded of the consequences for not speaking when she was told to.

"I... I have to get to class," she barely whispered, checking the hall for anyone.

"You're late anyway. Why don't you come with me instead—" his eyes darted to his right and let go her as if she burned, confusing her.

"—old man. Can't stand him and his constant—what are you two doing out of class?" said Anko while she glared at them.

"Going _to_ class," he said uncaringly.

"Then the two of you are late? Where are your late passes?" demanded Anko, crossing her arms suspiciously.

"I came from the restrooms. I don't know about her," answered Sasuke curtly.

Anko scowled for his rude tone then looked towards her expecting an answer. The pink-haired girl swallowed nervously. "I-I just came from H-Hatake-san's office."

Anko gave them a scrutinizing look. "Well get moving!"

Sasuke stayed put, hating to be ordered around. He disliked the purple-haired woman from the beginning. She always wormed herself into other people's business. However, he saw the nerd nod from the corner of his eye before starting to walk. His eyes slightly narrowed when he turned to walk also, not wanting the pink head to scurry that far from him. He was aware that Anko was still watching them so he was forced to stay at a distance. When they turned a corner, he aimed for her arm again but she slipped into a half open door and into a classroom.

_Che._

Briefly wondering if she walked into there on impulse, he stayed close until he heard whatever the teacher's name was tell her to take a seat and that they were reviewing the homework. She got lucky. Now that the nerd was out of his reach, for the time being, and his plan unable to proceed, he decided to head up to the roof after all. He was missing out on classes and it wasn't going to look good on his record. He was allowed to live by himself in his parent's house when they died on the condition that he had high grades and all that crap.

He could do it easy but didn't want to most of the time. It absolutely bored his mind, which reminded him, he didn't get the assignments for that class she went into, having that class earlier. Going back was not an option. The teacher was damn impossible... unless, of course, he could always ask that nerd instead.

She was hardly paying any attention to where she was going in the crowded hallways, hurrying to her next class, and knowingly trying to avoid _him_ at all costs. Her disarrayed state had lessened into a calmer one, but there was still the cautious fear that kept sending her signals to never let her guard down again. Though it was a fairly large school, the number of bodies nearly toppling her over was enough proof; she felt he could appear out of nowhere.

Hurriedly walking into another hall, she went up the stairs where her next class was located and tried, at the same time, to not get knocked down. She had stayed home yesterday, accidentally sleeping in, not even reacting to the loud beeping of her alarm clock. When she did, it was mid afternoon and felt drowsier. It was a suitable excuse, the real reason was that she didn't want to go to school and face him.

She just couldn't understand why. He seemed uncaring with that expressionless face, especially those dark, unreadable eyes. He, in a plain sense, was the bad boy. One who was quite popular with the girls yet wasn't the jock type. He didn't look the type to participate in sports. But when compared to a jock, he wins out.

He was every parent's nightmare: the dangerous high school rebel. Because of that he could get any girl... why did he choose her? No, he didn't choose her as a worthy female companion and such. He chose her to torment and pick on like the rest of the students. He couldn't have been interested for her looks—well with what he did to her...

Having **difficulty** finding an answer, her head began to ache. This was all too confusing for her. He _molested _her body... She remembered his words that accompanied his actions. Another thing she didn't understand why he would _enjoy _it. She was fat compared to the popular girls, having been told that her chubby stomach was sickening along with her face. She had just entered high school then, already feeling small and vulnerable, that she couldn't stand being picked on so she found refuge covering her body.

Maybe he was just a boy with raging hormones. A voice within her suggested as she reached the top of the stairs. A normal teenage boy with hormones.

Why did that sound so stupid in her head?

She couldn't hide forever, promising her mother to do great in school, and dragged herself out of bed this morning. It was rather warm outside, still she didn't think twice about picking out a large sweater from her closet able to withstand high temperatures. She was used to them. As she started to slip one over her head, a certain memory hit her like bricks. Waiting for a mere moment, she lowered the sweater and crossed to her dresser.

Taking out a bra, she couldn't bear to look at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. How could she have forgotten once more? Wasn't what happened sufficient in teaching her not to do idiotic things like that? While she put one on, she desperately tried not to remember what his cold hand felt like. Suddenly feeling extremely unease, she also took out two long sleeved shirts, what she usually wore during winter, and jeans. How easy it was to pull sweats down.

She did not enjoy it. She couldn't have. The nightmares proved everything. He forced her... taking pleasure in torturing her. She must have been delusional and nervous when she went home early. She couldn't possibly have believed that she wanted it. It was insane. Her mother for a fact would be incredibly disappointed. And because of that, Sakura could never sum up the courage to tell her or anyone else. With a clearer head, she realized just how serious it had been.

The realization caused apprehension when she entered the empty halls that morning, and if it hadn't been for recent events, it would've been simple routine. She wouldn't have to have the urgent need to check in every direction in anxiety. She had hurried to the school office for a late slip. Met with sympathetic smiles, the presence of adults somewhat alleviated her shaking hands when she took the slip of paper.

"Oh yes, before you go to class Hatake-san would like to see you in his office," said the lady at the desk whose name escaped Sakura's mind at the moment.

Nodding, she walked out, having no idea why Hatake-san requested her to go to his office. Her sneakers echoed in halls, her breathing quickening. What if he found out what happened? It wasn't so much that she was afraid what people would think if they knew but what _he_ would do to her for being found out.

Swallowing, her small fist raised and knocked on the door. There were sounds of papers shuffling and the movement of a chair. "Come in."

She opened the door, not able to give much eye contact to the smiling man standing in front of his desk. "Take a seat, Ms. Haruno."

After doing so, he sat down as well. Placing her hands on her lap, she stared at the golden rectangular plate on the desk with his name imprinted.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, tone expressing concern.

Giving an automatic nod, her fingers toyed with the sleeves, and she looked at him. His smile seemed very genuine.

"And how are you fairing by yourself at home?"

Whether it was his tone or his warm smile, she figured that the reason she was here was not because of what happened. No one knew. "I'm okay, Hatake-san," she answered then added, "Domo arigato for taking me home."

"It was nothing, Ms. Haruno. If there is anything you need assistance with, I'm here in my office."

There was that chance to tell him everything again, to confess the truth. Maybe it was a sign? She could trust him, right? Her mouth opened, thinking it over, and changed her mind. "Thank you again."

He didn't question her further, much to her relief, and dismissed her to class. She felt horrible as she exited his office because in a way she was lying to him. Hatake-san didn't deserve it. He had helped her when he didn't have to. She believed that there was good in people, but apart from her mother, Hatake-san was the only one to show it towards her; at least the first one to do so in several years. It was just another day. She could trick herself into believing that. She honestly thought it was safe—as safe as it got—at school. Unseen and unbothered, not counting the minor bullying. But that was no longer the case. She was targeted by—

"Where were you yesterday?"

Her insides chilled alongside that unforgettable, deep voice... it couldn't be.

Her body turned on instinct and self-defense while viridian eyes took in the sight of him leaning against the wall. He looked absolutely dangerous there. Indolent body, dark-raven spikes framing his face in the right angles and that infamous smirk. There was no denying that he was very attractive—

No! What was she thinking? He was responsible for harassing her _sexually_. Remembering that, a dread surfaced, twisting her insides once again and was completely unprepared for this situation.

"Watch it!" a random voice yelled while bumping hard into her. It had also broke her state of current thoughts.

Unfortunately the crash caused her legs to tangle as she tried to keep her balance. The next thing she knew, her books fell out of her arms and she followed shortly. The impact hurt but she didn't let it become the main focus as she fixed her askew glasses and searched for her books. Picking her things up, her face flamed when laughter began to surround her. Standing quickly, she worried that drew too much attention to herself again, but didn't want to confirm it by meeting the eyes of the bystanders.

Soon the crowd dispersed and she continued to head to class until she noticed who was coming in her direction. Two of the most popular girls of the school dressed in the latest fashions with designer handbags, Ami and Ino. They were known throughout the school as best friends. People began to make way for them and she did too by moving to the side. Naturally, students flocked to them. Sakura's grip on the books tightened when she became spotted by Ami. Sakura may not have been noticed by Ino, but it was a different situation with Ami, who occasionally bullied her and this was just another round.

Ami leered, "Hey, Ino-chan. What awful style this nerd has!" Sakura panicked, wanting to hide behind someone who was tall. She didn't want to be seen by Ino. What if she remembered her?

Ino was too preoccupied with her admirers behind her that she didn't hear what was said over the rest of the talking. Ami scowled, ignoring Sakura to pull Ino ahead. "What a bunch of losers, Ino-chan. Let's go."

Sakura thought there was an expression of jealously on Ami's face. Yet she brushed it off, not wanting to think about Ami and the humiliating experiences that came with it. How did Ami become such good friends with someone as nice as Ino? But she wasn't one to judge. People had their differences, her mother taught her that. What was inside a person was what really mattered.

And Ino's opinion mattered more than anyone else in the school. So maybe it was a good thing that Ino wasn't aware of her existence. Sakura looked around. She was safe... for now.

When the bell rang for lunch hour, she took her time walking out of the classroom feeling uneasy. It was definite that she wasn't going to go anywhere near the rooftop to eat her lunch. Instead, she walked towards the cafeteria, which she hadn't been into for quite a while.

Entering, all movement and level of noise made the whole room chaotic. Shifting her weight to her right leg, her head looked in all directions, trying to find a place that didn't seem so unfriendly. There was a group of geeks at a far table. As she debated to sit over there, some aggressive boys went there and demand their lunches. That influenced her to turn around and leave. She wasn't going to risk it. The other place students were eating was outside.

"Move bitch!"

She barely took a few steps outside when a ball nearly collided into her. Thanks to the not so friendly warning, she was able to dodge it but miscalculated her footing and stepped on a food tray. The owner was a random guy who looked high. "Aw, man. That's not cool." He began laughing at himself, eyes unfocused and freaking her out.

Her mouth opened but no apology was worded as she caught a glimpse of someone in black. Immediately, assumptions of who it was filled her mind and in response, she rushed out of there and managed to enter the girls' restrooms without tripping. Placing her hands on the cool sink surface, she tried to slow down the rapid heartbeats. Taking a deep breath, she raised a hand and set her glasses on the counter while turning the facet on. Both the sound of running water and the splashing of cold water on her face helped lower the anxiety. It didn't last as she heard girls coming in. She picked and put on the glasses while entering a toilet stall, choosing to wait until class started.

The restroom smell discouraged her from wanting to eat her lunch there, so she sat and stared at the writings on the walls, not focusing enough to read them. At last, the silence was interrupted and she was free to go to class. As she exited, people were only just appearing in the halls. Making it safely in the classroom, the fear returned. It was ineluctable. How could she avoid him in this class? She took her usual seat at the front and looked at the board, determining from her peripheral vision for signs that he was at the entrance.

She didn't realize she was holding her breath the entire time it took for the students to waltz into groaning, the history teacher ushering them in. A flicker of hope brightened her eyes, somewhat relaxing her. Maybe something happened and he couldn't make it to class? The shining hope faltered a little. Then again, he had a tendency to show up late. Willing and praying that he didn't, she continued to grasp onto the hope. Much to her relief, the classroom quieted as the teacher prepared for the lecture.

Just one more class and she could go home. No one noticed or said anything to her. Good. She took out her materials out, telling herself she could do this. Opening to a blank page, she began to take notes from the information the teacher was saying without breaks. She had missed quite a bit and had to catch up from her absence. The woman suddenly halted in middle of the long lecture. Sakura did not pause in her writing.

"You're late! Where's your late slip?" the woman barked.

_**No.**_ Her hand froze and green eyes widened.

There wasn't a response, and though curiosity to look towards the door was strong, she didn't allow herself. She didn't need to anyway as there was finally a reply. "Right here."

The voice was far, yet the vibration of it sent goose bumps on her arms, desperately making her want to shake the discomfort off.

"Find a seat!"

_**Don't look at him. **_

"Next to Haruno."

_**NO!**_

Wasn't there someone already sitting there? She was sure of it. Sensing him, he approached the front row, close to where she was, and stopped. Her head was declined but still was able to see his shadow on her desk. He wasn't moving and it increased the discomfort she was experiencing. She finally was permitted to breathe when he sat down. The lecture resumed and people were unaware of the tension that surfaced. Her mind wasn't processing or even listening to the lesson. Her hand was still frozen. In fact, her body hadn't moved an inch.

A minute later, she jumped when she felt a hand on her thigh. Her heart stopped. She couldn't breathe. The hand squeezed before rising and entering under her sweater, finding its way through the layers of clothing. It made her sick with fear and looked to the side, away from him, in panic. Students were busy scribbling down notes. No one was paying attention to her. They never did unless they wanted to humiliate her. The hand gripped. And she fought a scream.

Biting her lips, she shut her eyes, and chanted in her head. _Not happening. Not happening. _The hand was persistent as it encountered difficulty finding what it was looking for.

"Haruno, come up and explain the events after the war," the teacher said, bringing her attention to the front.

The hand was gone. She gladly stood, able to get away, and walked to the front of the classroom, even though she was afraid of speaking aloud. Realizing this too late, she swallowed nervously. Everyone was staring. There were so many faces but she couldn't see one in particular. It was like a sea of people without any distinction; however, he was in clear range, staring at her with intense dark eyes. She didn't like his look.

Smoldering onyx bore into her, like he was undressing her with his eyes.

Suddenly, there were many gasps before it erupted into laughter. There were people pointing at her and she didn't understand why. She was shaking uncontrollably as she followed the pointing fingers and found herself bare naked.

Her heart and breathing stopped without warning, mind in a blank state. A powerful discomfort emerged and she had an urge to hide. Her shaking hands turned into blocks of stone making it hard to move and cover herself. Her eyes burned; a panic attack surely was about to occur as her heart began to pound against her ribcage, threatening to burst out of her frail body.

But it was his candid gaze and twisted smirk that were terrifying her the most.

"HARUNO!"

Feeling an outer body experience, her eyes snapped open, but weren't they already open?

"Stop daydreaming!"

Not understanding the command, she blinked noticing that she was sitting at her desk with sniggers around her. The confusion didn't recede until she looked at the person next to her. A black-haired girl was giving her a disgusted look. It wasn't him.

"I'm sorry."

"Hmph! Back to what I was saying," the woman continued.

Was it just her imagination? It was too realistic. Yet she looked down and was indeed fully clothed. Then maybe what happened on the rooftop didn't happen either. Could that really be a possibility?

Still dealing with the after effects of the vivid hallucination, parts of her encounter with him flashed through her eyes. No, that part was undeniably real.

When class ended, she half relieved went to her last period quickly. There was a small break between classes so it wasn't unusual that she was arrived there first. The teacher was a beautiful young woman, named Kunerai-sensei. Unlike most instructors, she was considered to be one of the nicest, but wasn't a pushover. The red-eyed woman was erasing something on the chalkboard when she spotted Sakura at the door. "Come in, Haruno. Most would be late anyway."

Sakura took her seat, placing her bag near the chair. Just as she grabbed the zipper, Kurenai spoke, "That's right. I forgot the copies. I'm sorry, Haruno. You know the rule."

Sakura nodded, knowing that students couldn't be in the classroom when the teacher wasn't present. She headed outside while Kunerai closed the door. "I won't be long."

Waiting by the wall, she felt so exhausted. It had been a long day but very soon she'll be able to go home and relax in a safer atmosphere. Wetting her dry lips, she noticed a loose tie on her shoe and lowered to retie it properly when she caught a glimpse of black spikes from the stairway. Jolting up, she silently freaked, not knowing what to do. Too many humiliating incidents rushed to her head at once.

His face void of emotion was what she saw next. It alarmed her when he continued to walk and she prayed that he would pass by without giving her a glance. She was the wall. _Part of the wall._ But then it would impossible to be invisible, especially when he suddenly stopped in front of her.

Her stomach dropped painfully, making her limbs shake. Staring at the floor didn't help, it only made it seem like it was moving, and she slowly began to feel dizzy. His scent of night and faint trace of cigarettes overpowered her nose. Her breathing quickened, short and raspy sounds were released. And to her utmost horror, he began to near.

As she tried to keep up with her uncontrolled breathing, he had stopped along the way and just stood, simply watching her. Seconds passed but they felt like long, agonizing minutes.

"Calm down."

She heard him but couldn't comprehend, not sure if he actually spoke or what he said in general. After today, she was having difficulty trusting her mind. A small chuckle started to ring in her hearing. It curtly lasted. "You should be smart enough to realize that I'm not going to do anything to you. All I want is the assignment due for Literature."

He wanted her to do his homework?

"No, that's not what I want. Let's just say that I _misplaced_ it."

Panicked, she wasn't sure if she voiced her thoughts or that he actually knew what she was thinking. Bits and pieces of her nightmare began to surface.

_Not now._ She told herself. Thinking about that when he was right in front of her wasn't a good idea. Instead she concentrated on what he said. He wasn't going to hurt her, even though he didn't make it clear. The uncertainty was beginning to mess with her mentality further and effectively. After a short while of staring at her shoelaces, a spark of courage burst through her veins. He wasn't going to hurt her. And strangely, she believed him.

"M-M..." she cleared her dry throat, her eyes stung. The spark was diminishing, the panic increasing. But she had to make him go away so she tried again. "My backpack is in the classroom." She didn't stutter, but it was barely audible.

His head turned to the right. She continued to stare downward and saw his shoes step out of her vision. All at once, relief and disbelief roamed within her at the hope that he would leave. She heard a door slide open and she snapped her attention towards it. He was looking in, checking for people, and as he went inside, he spoke, "Come on."

It was a demand. Her brain processed it and intended to oblige, but her legs wouldn't move from their place. Closing her eyes, an inner strength successfully made them head to the door. Still there was a moment's hesitation before she crossed the threshold and she glanced nervously behind her, "We're not supposed to be in—"

"I need those assignments," he cut her off. She gave a start, realizing he was a foot away, and if he hadn't spoken, they would have made contact.

There was an unusual want to ask him why he didn't get it from the teacher instead, but whatever words she was going to voice died in her throat. He was looking at her in an impatient manner. Flashbacks from the rooftop went through her mind. She barely nodded before sidestepping around him to retrieve her bag.

She nervously began to open her backpack to take out her notes, especially when he appeared in front of her again. Shifting through some papers, she couldn't concentrate at the least when he stared at her so openly. She felt so _exposed_ and there were parts of her that didn't understand the full extent of the reason why. Finally, she handed him some notes, avoiding any sort of eye contact while he took his time in taking them and without sparing them a glance.

"Aren't you going to explain it to me?"

Her voice that was already failing her managed to respond in a whisper, "We're supposed to write a five page composition about—"

"Why then, did you give me math notes?"

His voice was monotonous and yet she flinched for making an error. The shaking returned, affecting her ability to speak. "I'm s-sorry."

He was too close. She needed to get away as soon as possible.

Shakily, she resumed the search in her bag. He looked down and saw multiple colored folders. His gaze lingered from open backpack, to her hands, and then to the pink braided pigtails that contrasted every color in the room. His hand rose, almost unwary, in that direction. She sensed before seeing it and jumped back, much startled than before. She accidentally hit one of the desks behind her, slipped and fell onto the ground, her bag heavy on top.

He was of a more intimidating height from the floor as he stared down at her. Instantly, she evaded looking up as she focused on her arm that had hit the desk, sure that it would leave a bruise. He neared. She began to tremble, continuing to look down. Black shoes came closer. What was he going to do to her now?

A hand lowered to her eyesight. She stared at it, not registering. Hearing a small sigh, the hand settled on her arm and her eyes closed as she bit her lips. _Not again._ She pleaded while she was pulled up to her feet. Terror churned her insides as she waited for something to happen, taking note how hard she was gripping her bag in her hold.

"What are you both doing in here?"

She hadn't felt so much relief to hear Kurenai-san's voice, or anyone else's for that matter, from the open doorway. Her jade eyes dashed to the entrance, needing confirmation that it wasn't imagination. She wasn't alone. Kurenai suspiciously eyed them both, she had informed one of them not to come in and the other wasn't a student of hers, but she knew who he was. It popped a red flag to see two entirely different people standing so close together.

The boy had an uncaring face while the girl had a guilty one.

He could see that the woman was already coming up with answers to why they were there. And he had a suspicion of his own that none were beneficial for him. Guess he would have to talk his way out of it. "She was finishing explaining an assignment I missed. She's not in my other classes so I wasn't going to get to talk to her until tomorrow. And since she's my tutor, she was the most likely choice than the professor who I can't understand at all."

Not only did it raise Kurenai's eyebrow but two pink ones as well. The pink-head at last took a glimpse at his features and it stayed with confusion etched on her face. She knew what he was doing. What confused her was that he could make up an excuse for himself in an easier way. So why was he lying? Including the fact that he said she was his tutor sent the apprehension back into her system.

Kurenai's look of suspicion didn't fade. "Hurry up then."

He turned to her, successfully meeting her eyes this time, and she froze. Even with Kurenai-san in the room and her attentive watching, the isolation and warning signs remained as if she was only with him. His eyes were a bottomless black, unreadable.

"The assignment?" His lips moved, luring her eyes.

Blinking, she slowly nodded and finished searching her backpack, finally finding the correct sheet of paper. From her peripheral vision, she could see Kurenai had returned to her desk convinced. She had hoped Kurenai would pay attention for a little while longer that she didn't notice his hand reaching for the sheet that she wasn't handing over directly. It wasn't until his fingers brushed her hand, creating a nomadic chill down her spine, that she drew back.

The possibility of he doing something to her with the teacher present became high. What exactly was he capable of? Her nightmare gave a terrifying answer, but that was all in her head, and did not prove the exact level of his ferocity. He headed towards the door without another word, leaving her to stare his retreating back.

The bell sounded, alerting her to take a seat before others came in savagely to avoid tardiness. When she did, she was all too aware of the tiny sensation on her hand that continued to prickle through class and the remainder of the day.


	6. Chapter 5: Threat

_Predator and Prey_

**Threat**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_I find myself backed into a dark corner..._

_where is the sunlight to guide my path?_

—

—

The morning rays of the sun slipped through the blinds of the window and hit the sensitive layer of her eyelids, making her see red as she stirred awake from the short slumber she had managed to get from an uneasy attempt to sleep. Her drowsy state prolonged her thinking as she opened her eyes slowly with difficulty. Almost instantly, she shut them as an arm curled out from the warm blankets to cover half her face, blocking the unwanted sunlight.

She stayed in that position until the loud beeping of her alarm clock startled her minutes later. Pressing the off button automatically, she turned away from the window and sat up while rubbing her eyes. The action irked her temples, which hinted a headache, and she lowered into a slouched position. The faint sounds of bird chirping barely went noticed as she tried to ease the upcoming tension around her eyes. Dropping her arms, she turned towards the window and reached for her glasses on the nearby drawer.

_It's just another day._ The thought despondently echoed in her mind and she didn't make an effort to get up from her warm bed. Softly sighing, she put her glasses on and hoped this headache wouldn't last the entire day. Finally, she slipped from the bed and stood.

She entered the small bathroom and caught a glimpse of her reflection. The skin around her eyes was slightly darker due to the sleepless nights, but that wasn't what caught her attention. A new blemish had appeared on the side of her chin. She inspected it, not happy that this one was rather big and proceeded to pop it. She winced slightly at the pain and soon enough, it became another red, irritated spot on her face; at least it wasn't that disgusting looking anymore. Sighing to herself yet again, she began to undress for a shower in hopes to shake off her drowsiness.

After her shower, she proceeded to dress in a long sleeved shirt and slipped into a pair of jeans, still not feeling much better. At times, she spaced out during her morning routine and had to silently reprimand herself for wasting time. Before she headed down to prepare a small breakfast and lunch, she looked out the window once more. Sometimes it wasn't worth getting up in the morning.

Even with all the unexpected spacing out, she managed to leave the house at the same usual time. She wasn't that hungry but ate half a cereal bowl and quickly made her lunch. Her walk to school was at its exact pace yet she felt so tired. The bags under eyes were noticeable even with the large glasses. As she entered the school building, she still couldn't figure out why she couldn't sleep.

Of course, thoughts of _him_ were constantly on her mind, but she hadn't had another nightmare involving him. How could she if she barely had any sleep? She thought back on yesterday's events. He had been acting strange, almost, dare she say, _nice._ Her eyebrows furrowed as her thoughts on the dark-haired became further complex. It still didn't mean she felt safe, regardless the real reason to why all of this was occurring. She didn't even feel safe anymore coming this early to school when there hardly was anyone in sight.

But it wasn't like _he_ would be here. He didn't seem to particularly like school or anything for that matter and was always late for class. As she thought about this, it became more evident that she didn't need to worry about being here alone. However, there was still an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Minutes later, she took a seat in the deathly silent library and set a textbook on the table. The strong lights of the large room burned her eyes. Shaking her head slightly while rubbing her forehead a bit, she tried to ease the tension of the headache from earlier this morning. After blinking repeatedly, she finally opened the book and attempted to read. It proved to be futile as she kept reading the same sentence over and over again.

Time was progressing slowly, in contrast to the previous days she spent in here. The silence was interrupted by an unexpected noise, which startled her immensely, causing her to jump and turn her head towards it. The librarian had dropped a pile of books and was silently cursing. On instinct, she stood and without a word, helped pick them up.

She had helped librarians before when it was needed, especially when no one else was available, but her mind wasn't really in it. Half listening to the librarian's murmurs, she finished picking them up and placed them in the cart. The phone that suddenly rang also made her jump. The librarian curiously looked at her before hurrying to answer it. The librarian's voice and laughter echoed through the empty library. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to read after all, she proceeded to alphabetize the books before taking the cart to the various aisles.

Absentmindedly, she placed the books in their correct place and completed the small task easily. She took the empty cart back to the front where the librarian was still speaking on the phone. A few students had entered and were furiously studying for exams at the last minute. After that, she returned to her small table and tried to read the text once more. Just when it was starting to make sense, it was time to go. She walked out the double doors.

She felt a bit jittery walking through the chaotic halls. Students were crowding every space possible with a few empty spaces in between that soon were filled as people headed towards their destination. When walking these halls, it was wise to have a quick pace without managing to bump into anyone. She hadn't fully mastered this despite it being her last year of high school. But being so short in stature, she didn't really stand a chance. A feeling of claustrophobia began to suffocate her as two bigger boys tackled each other in a headlock and tumbled in front of her. She avoided it but got in the way when a girl sprayed large amounts of perfume, unaware of the people walking by.

She coughed into her sleeve, fighting the fruity fragrance that seeped into her mouth and kept walking. Other than that, the feeling of routine returned. She truly hoped it would be a normal school day, but then again, when was it ever normal?

Reaching her locker, she immediately noticed that there was a group of people in the way. She had to wait until they moved on. She shifted her large book to her other arm as she turned the knob to her combination. When it clicked open, she pushed the handle up while using a little force to open it. It was orderly inside and she switched her books. Suddenly, she stiffened as every fiber of her body gave off a warning alert. She felt like someone was watching her every move. Not accustomed to this feeling, she turned to the passing students clad in various colors and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Slowly, she returned to her task, the feeling didn't subdue; but increased ten fold, so she quickly took what was needed, closed her locker, and hurried to her classroom. That strange feeling lasted afterwards, preoccupying her thoughts and caused her to miss the direction where onyx eyes were previously located.

She never had a problem with concentration in her classes; yet it was difficult as her eyes were constantly drooping and all she wanted to do was to lay her head down to relax. This never happened to her before. She was always fully alert in class and couldn't afford to get low marks. What would that say about her? Not to mention she still possessed that chilling, unusual feeling from the hallways.

It was a strange combination, feeling sleepy and cautious at the same time, but most importantly, she didn't understand why she was panicking again. _He _wasn't in her morning classes and she hadn't seen him at all. Still, he wouldn't leave her mind. His image filled her mind: his dark hair, his cold eyes, his pale yet smooth features and that all too knowing smirk…

Uncomfortably, she shifted in her seat as she remembered his cruel actions at the rooftop. He was a cold person like his hands…

The students reacted before the bell as they began talking and putting their things in their bags, signaling the end of class. Surprised, she looked around her and then the clock. It really was time for her next class. Sighing, she tried to concentrate more in her other classes and did. It also got rid of the feeling, yet there was something still whispering in the back of her mind. By the time she got out of her third class, she felt even more tired than before.

She lost her concentration when she headed for P.E. The course is compulsory for all students during a particular day of the week and was only cancelled during the rainy season. So as expected, it was hated by the majority of the student body. That, and it was taught by Maito Gai. It was reason enough to skip that period daily and most did, although they were caught and were required to attend another physical class as part of detention with the evil Mitarashi Anko. She was literally merciless when demanding them to continue under hot weather conditions.

At least in the normal physical education classes, they didn't force the students to go at a certain speed as long as the exercise was completed before the period ended. Slightly jogging, she found no trouble in the situation, except for the fact that she chose to wear sweat pants rather than the customary gym school shorts. The sun beat down on her face and she began to sweat, making her glasses slip. Her glasses were a nuisance but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Eventually, she was the last one to finish.

"Haruno, that wasn't your best. The power of youth is in you, I know it!" Gai gleamed, the brightness of his teeth blinding her for a moment.

Sakura tried to smile back but failed. It took too much energy and it didn't matter if one smiled or frowned at the man clad in green, he would still smile widely anyway. It wasn't that she wasn't physically active; she walked to school and back since she was twelve but she obviously couldn't keep up with anything today.

Her panting lessened and she gradually regained her normal breathing pattern as she walked back to the changing rooms. Since she was the last one to head back and it was time for lunch, she figured it was probably empty. A noise caught her attention, though she didn't think too much of it while entering, she froze at the sight of purple hair. Ami was pushed up against the changing lockers by a guy whose hand was up her skirt. Ami was giggling and the guy started kissing her neck. With a red face, Sakura tried to leave before being seen. In the next second, Ami looked at the entrance and there was a brief eye contact.

Turning even redder, Sakura avoided Ami's stare and backed out of the room. She waited a few feet away from the door until they came out ten minutes later. The guy didn't realize she was there and headed off to wherever he was going. Ami was smoothing down her skirt and ignored her as well. What she had seen rushed back to her head. How could someone do that at school? Weren't they worried that the teachers would catch them? She shook her head. It wasn't any of her concern.

She changed back into her clothes and checked the time. She had forty minutes to eat her lunch instead of the usual hour. And this time at lunch, she was going to take her chances with the other nerds since she was never going back to the rooftop. Nipping at her lower lip absently as a habit of nervousness, she walked into the swarming cafeteria. No one paid any attention to her as she entered, although someone almost bumped into her as he yelled out to his friend, "They ran out of pizza!"

"Fuck!" said an angry student and slammed his fist hard on the table.

Instantly getting out of their way, she hurried while searching around, having a bit of trouble remembering where certain types of groups sat. After a few minutes, she spotted the table with a few students that were quiet at the far end of the room. She approached them with butterflies in her stomach.

"Hi," she said softly, which was probably unheard due to the level of noise in the cafeteria. However, a few heads to which it was said to turned to her in surprise.

"May I sit with you?" she continued in a louder tone and hoped that they wouldn't refuse.

There was a short silence amongst the few nerds while they looked at each other to come to an agreement. The nearest girl to Sakura nodded and she quickly took the empty seat next to her. The rest didn't utter a sound to her as she took out her homemade lunch from her backpack.

"My name is Hitomi," said the girl a short while after.

The pink-haired girl finished chewing what was in her mouth before answering, "Mine is Sakura."

"That's a pretty name," replied Hitomi, which caused Sakura to pause in her eating, not expecting the compliment. No one cared about her name because of her appearance.

From what she could tell so far, they were friendly despite their silence. Jade eyes wandered from one person to another. Some were lost in their own world, others had shifty eyes and a few were muttering under their breath. She knew they were not usually like this and tended to be more open alone or with someone they trusted. She ate her rice quietly, occasionally stopping to use her tongue and make sure the tiny grains didn't get stuck between the metal of her braces.

No one else spoke after a while; excluding a boy who offered her some of his food, which she refused politely, and it soon became awkward, at least in her case. The awkwardness was nothing bad and she began to think it would be possible to find companionship. A small smile appeared on her lips, a rare occurrence, and it quickly faded when the bell rang. She suddenly didn't feel so well.

There was a strong discomfort swirling in her stomach, threatening to throw back out the food she recently ate, when she reached the class she had with him. It was inevitable and it was slowly shattering her hopes of a normal day. Taking her seat, she didn't dare to look anywhere else as the rest of the students settled in. She wasn't ready to give up the hope that he would not be here. Her breathing stopped abruptly when she heard the squeals of girls and she shut her eyes in realization that not all hopes are meant to come true.

A part of her didn't understand the extreme expression of infatuation demonstrated by all females in the class. Of course, this wasn't the first time that it happened; not with someone like _him_, but she had always seemed to be somewhat oblivious since it died down when class began. And soon enough, everyone quieted down when the teacher entered. It was highly uncomfortable and she wasn't listening. She wanted to flinch. Eyes, _his eyes_, were boring holes onto her back from the time when he had sat down in the back. Even from that distance, it was distracting and her feet started to fidget.

_Stop it. Stop it._

"Today we will be conducting a short group activity. Groups will be chosen at _random_," said the teacher disapprovingly at the dissatisfied faces of the students.

With a soft gasp, she froze and stared at the teacher who picked up the attendance sheet and called out names. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until her name was called along with Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru. So it was groups of three and she was relieved that she wasn't paired with—she must have not been paying attention again because there were sounds of chairs being moved in the classroom. Everyone was sitting next to their group members, forcing her to stand and find a seat by them, knowing they wouldn't come to her.

She sat down next the Nara genius while Kiba took his time in getting there. She was ignored and none of them spoke even after the instructions were given. Her eyes glanced up to the teacher but something else diverted her attention to find him sitting indolently with two females, his uncaring face didn't betray his usual attitude. Her gaze shifted to his group members and widened. One of them was Yamanaka Ino.

Sakura had forgotten the popular blonde was in this class too, but it wasn't like someone with that status would bother to notice her. And with the recent incidents, there were other things on Sakura's mind. She continued watching the smiling Ino as she fearlessly talked to the dark-haired male while the other female stared at him lovingly. Sakura averted her eyes once she realized she was staring, only to see the rest of the girls looking at them as well with jealous faces.

She was just glad she wasn't grouped with either of them, each for different reasons. Her attention was brought to her own group when Kiba complained besides her, "I'm not doing this. It's boring."

Shikamaru yawned and propped the side of his face on his palm. "Troublesome."

As usual, whoever ended up in a group with her in any class expected her do all the work. It wasn't a surprise. In fact, she was expecting it and eased all feelings as she busied herself. Sure, it wasn't fair for one person to do all parts of the assignment, but she was perfectly capable with experience.

While she worked, Kiba made paper airplanes and threw them across the room to several of his buddies when the teacher wasn't looking. It was a childish act but he had the reputation of being one of the class clowns since freshman year and planned on keeping it that way. Only when the teacher came to check on each group's progress, he pretended to read. Shikamaru would occasionally read what she had so far and nodded his agreement before closing his eyes again to resume his nap.

Due to her hard work, her group was one of the few that finished within the class session and was given a good grade for the day. She had to personally hand over the assignment to the front, much to her discomfort, and avoided anyone's gaze. She headed back to her group to take her backpack when Ino approached with hands on her hips.

"Hey, lazy ass! Have you seen my hairbrush anywhere around here?" she asked, not noticing the people around her.

"No," replied Shikamaru without bothering to open his eyes, irking the blonde girl.

She huffed. "I was sitting next to you! You must have seen it somewhere!"

As the two kept arguing, Sakura looked at the door, but saw _him _standing by it with girls around him, telling him what they thought of his amazing qualities. She didn't want to go near him at all so she opted to wait until he left. When he did, the rest of the remaining people, all fan girls, followed suit. The teacher walked out as well, presumably to the staff room.

Finally walking down the row that would lead to the door, a glimpse of something white stood out in her peripheral vision and she turned to find that it was on her desk. Unsurely, she looked around the empty room before her legs took her there. Coming closer, she realized what it was. She stopped in front of it and looked down at the sheets of paper.

It was her notes. The ones _he _asked for yesterday afternoon. She glanced at the door in case someone was there but no one was in sight. She picked them up, noticing the sheets were a bit crumbled but still in good shape. Staring at them for a few moments, she couldn't believe he returned them to her as if it were nothing. He had demanded them from her and she thought he would not give them back.

This was another eccentric piece to the ever-growing puzzle.

* * *

She walked down the stairs after her last class, ready to go home. Sometimes, she would stay a bit longer after school to finish some work that required the use of computers in the lab since she didn't have one of her own; but the exhaustion from the morning caught up with her again. It would be best if she went home and rested.

The halls after the last class were more hectic as students wanted nothing more than to get off the campus so they could do what they wanted. She reached the parking lot where several cars sped down the lanes and into the streets. She stayed on the sidewalks and walked down the busy streets; she had the chance of taking the metro or a bus but her house really wasn't that far. Besides, she didn't bring spare change for the commission and any extra money was saved for the cost of other things, such as university.

The air wasn't chilly compared to the usual times she walked home. She was only half looking at where she was heading and the other part was just lost. Attempting to gather a coherent thought only caused another headache. She stopped with a group of people that were waiting to cross the street.

Absentmindedly, she watched the people in front of her: many were talking on their cell phones, some teenagers had earphones listening to loud music, some elderly people carried grocery bags, and children that clung onto their parents' hands. The children were what stood out in the crowd with their happy and excited smiles. From their small eyes, there wasn't a worry in the world. It has been so long that she felt that herself. When a little boy started staring at her back, she looked away.

She sighed but stopped midway when a familiar sweet, bitter stench percolated her senses. Her head jerked to the side and at once found the source, only to see a man in a business suit lighting up a cigarette as he waited to cross the busy street. She relaxed but was reminded of the acrid taste, which was followed by the grip of his fingers on her chin as he blew the cigarette smoke into her mouth—she looked away from the man to see the crowd beginning to move forward.

She entered her small home, slipped out of her shoes and went up the stairs. Dropping her bag by her door, she removed her sweater and proceeded to clean the house that had not been touched in days. There wasn't much of a mess yet she felt the need to do it because it was after all one of her responsibilities. She washed the dirty dishes, wiped some surfaces, and went to do the laundry. Once that was done, she hung the wet clothes on a clothesline outside in the small back yard.

Finishing with the chores, she headed towards the bathroom for a shower, hoping it will relax her. She spent more time in there than necessary and hurried out when she remembered there was quite a bit of homework to do. Sitting on her bed, she worked on her assignments until she finished it and made something quick for dinner.

At night, she headed towards the living room with a blanket and turned the television on. It was too quiet in the house and it was scary since she was alone. Hopefully the sounds of the nighttime shows would ease her to sleep. Not long after did she discover that it was futile because the brightness from the screen greatly disturbed her eyes. Tired and frustrated, she turned the television off and stared at the dark ceiling.

Why was it so difficult to fall asleep? She let her mind wander to random things and to events in her past, which added onto the insomnia. At last, she finally wandered off to sleep despite the fact that it was nearly four in the morning.

When the alarm went off, she couldn't believe how fast the time passed; it was already so much later than what she usually woke to. She still had time to get ready to arrive at school in time yet she panicked when she saw the hour. Hurrying to school, she felt slightly better, even though her back ached. Perhaps yesterday's extreme exhaustion was caused by stress. A voice in her head thought otherwise. _**You know it's something else.**_

She was short of breath from running when she heard the first bell ring outside the school building. Her destination was her locker and she managed to get in through the crowds of students. When she got what she needed, she continued to walk quickly to her first class. Just as she turned a corner, she almost bumped into a few people and had to stop. Out of politeness, she stood aside to let them walk by first and when she was free to pass; she froze when she glanced forward.

There _he _was. It was just the side of him with his hands in his pockets, bag over one shoulder, and dressed in black again. He looked bored as he apparently listened to someone speaking. Jade eyes darted from his indolent form to two figures. One was clad in a white overcoat and wore shades. He looked unfriendly. It wasn't that bright in the halls to be wearing sunglasses.

On the other hand, the other one, a tall blonde boy, was vastly different from the two. He stood out with his orange jacket and yellow hair. Yet there was something amiable about his whole persona. His whiskered face and azure eyes gave that impression as well. He was also the only one of the trio talking, which seemed to be too much, and making several of gestures.

In a brief instant, _his _head moved in her direction.

Her body gave a jolt of panic when those unforgettable dark eyes stared directly at her. Usually something this unpredicted would not give her a chance to react, however, her feet moved without her complete knowledge while her heart beat at an uneven pace. When she was a safe distance away from his gaze, she repeatedly told herself to calm down. There was a chance he didn't see her. Maybe he was looking at someone else that happened to be where she was standing. It was still on her mind even minutes later while she sat in class.

But why was he acting like this? He hadn't approached her at all, not that she wanted him to. She didn't think she would be able to cope with it. Was it some sort of sick game to confuse her? If that was the case, then he succeeded. And there was something else preoccupying her mind. Days have passed since her mother left and still hadn't returned. Anxiously, she tried not to think of the worst. Yet what if…?

She shook her head at the oncoming thought. She shouldn't be pessimistic, but it was the first time her mother had to go out of town. Sure at times, her mother came home very late due to her demanding job and she had stayed up to wait for her. It was times like this that she wished she had someone to talk to. There wasn't a single person in her life that she could do that with because she didn't have friends.

Almost reaching her classroom, a door opened and she saw a student coming out of Hatake-san's office. A surge of hope filled from within once she realized that she wasn't alone as she thought. Hatake Kakashi was the school counselor. He was nice and the only one who didn't really ignore her. She supposed it was his job to do so, but he didn't have to go out of his way to safely take her home. The guilt that she lied to him stopped her and lessened the sincere hope she felt in weeks. What would he say?

And she also didn't want to risk it after remembering a certain threat from _him_.

Shaking her head, she went into class. If it was difficult concentrating yesterday, it became worse today. Her eyes were itchy and red, which she had to continuously rub them to keep awake. It was a miracle she made it to lunch without falling asleep in any of her morning classes. She arrived at the cafeteria earlier than before and avoided much of the chaos. She sat with the new people she didn't really meet personally and began eating.

Hitomi showed up moments later and gave a soft smile to the pink-haired girl before it faded automatically once she sat down. Sakura chewed her food and watched the others in hopes that someone would make conversation so she could get to know them better. However, they ate their homemade lunches in silence—no one went to buy food in line for they were pushed to the side or bullied; and it disappointed her. One boy she was previously looking at had difficultly chewing his fish.

Even though they were in the same predicament, Sakura still didn't feel at ease with them. She wasn't being judgmental because, after all, they were human beings just like her, but something did not feel right. It was only her second day sitting here. Perhaps it was because she was used to being alone all the time.

Taking a napkin to wipe her mouth, she halted when she saw three people coming their way. A bad feeling arose after recognizing them from the past school years. Their names were Dosu, Zaku and Kin.

The three were known to bully whoever they didn't like, which was the entire student body including the teachers; and were constantly suspended for their extreme fighting and rude behavior. It was rare to see them alone, as they tended to stick together, although it was rumored that they themselves didn't trust each other. All of this crossed her mind as they came closer and closer.

It happened quickly, even though she witnessed it with her eyes, and a random boy eating was lifted up by his neck collar, causing him to choke on the bite he took. The rest of the nerds immediately looked up in bewilderment. Zaku was the first to speak, "And how are the ugly rats doing?"

No one dared to say a word or look at Zaku directly in the eye in case he decided to hit someone or take it out on the boy he was harshly gripping. He leered at them all. "Give me your money."

Many gasped while some instantly reached into their pockets and emptied what they had on the lunch table. Sakura, along with a few others, didn't have any money yet checked their pockets anyway to not receive attention by sitting down and doing nothing. Zaku was impatient and dropped his hold on the boy to pick up the money.

"That's all you got? I can't buy anything with this shit!"

"They're _all_ poor, stupid. What did you expect?" said Kin, rolling her eyes.

Dosu sighed at the idiocy of both and then he grabbed a girl's arm in order to teach Zaku and Kin how to handle these types of losers. The girl made a noise of protest, worrying the rest until the boy next to her stood courageously though he was visibly shaking. The rest had their heads declined with the struggle to tell him to sit back down.

The amusement of the boy's action was also evident in Zaku's eyes. "Going to do something, ugly asshole?"

The boy looked at the girl with a torn and faltering expression. No one else in the cafeteria was paying attention until Zaku sneered and the boy was given an unexpected blow in the face. He fell backwards with a loud crash. Now, that got everyone's attention and students hurried to where they were, eager to see what was going on. Not long after, a majority of students began chanting, "Fight, fight!"

"What are you saying?" said a nearby jock and scoffed, "It's a fucking nerd! He isn't going to do anything!"

While some agreed, almost pitying the geek, Dosu turned to Kin. "Deal with the rest. They need to be reminded of their place."

Kin smiled wickedly as she glared at the girls. Then her arms stretched towards them, causing the females to stiffen in fright, and grabbed two containers of food to dump them on the nearest girls, Sakura and Hitomi.

The sound of running water in the washrooms was combined with Hitomi's sniffling; she had burst out crying at the scene. Unfortunately, the two girls were stuck with the same problem. The others had stayed put, accepting the taunts and pushes from Zaku and from other students that had joined in as well. It wasn't until some teachers came to see what was going on that Dosu, Zaku, and Kin finally disappeared. When the victims were questioned, most kept silent and assured them nothing had happened.

The food dumped onto them had gotten on her sweater and it was the first thing she tried to clean, resulting in multiple wet splotches she had rubbed with a paper towel. What worried her most was what landed on her head. Her hair was sticky and she didn't have a brush or anything like that so the only option was to comb it out with her fingers. The better choice was to dip her head under water; then again her hair was too long. If she unbraided it, her hair would not only take much time to dry, but had to be braided once more. There wasn't much of the lunch hour left to do all of that.

While she debated what to do in her mind, she looked at Hitomi through the mirror, who was still crying, and suddenly felt the need to say something to lessen the humiliation they experienced in front of the school. Assure her that it wasn't the end of the world. Opening her mouth, the words of comfort failed to come out when she spotted faint red lines on the girl's wrists as she dried her hands. Viridian orbs were glued to the scars that contrasted on Hitomi's fair skin. All of a sudden, the crying girl turned, ran to a stall, shut herself in, and resumed crying. Biting her lip, Sakura stared at the closed stall in deep concern. Hesitantly, she slowly recommenced the task at hand.

She managed to get all the food particles out of her almost wet hair when the bell rang for class. What she couldn't get rid of was the smell that begun to linger on the top of her head, a garlic-like odor that came from someone's lunch. Grabbing her backpack, she looked back towards the stall Hitomi still hadn't come out of, which worried her greatly, before leaving the room. _She will be all right._

That comment of reassurance was also directed at herself as her inner thoughts attempted to keep her calm. Feeling extremely self-conscious, she entered her history class and sat down in time. She concentrated on the lesson and not on the smell that became stronger with each passing minute. Taking a deep breath, she told herself to relax; it was probably her imagination. It wasn't until someone raised his hand impatiently halfway into class, interrupting the lecture, that she realized she had every right to be worried.

"What is it?" snapped the teacher, annoyed.

"Something fucking smells in here!" the boy announced with a scrunched expression. Soon enough, more people agreed with the one who spoke and the teacher had to open the window in response to their complaints. Sakura kept her head down to avoid looking at anyone and prayed that it wouldn't be too obvious of where it was coming from.

The interruption was enough to cause most of the students to curiously locate the source, truthfully finding the search more entertaining than the subject of history, and also encouraged them to start their own conversations. It didn't last long until someone pointed towards the front. "It's coming from her!"

As soon as that was spoken, she knew it was pointless in trying to hide and mentally prepared for the mean remarks that would surely head her way.

"Ugly bitch doesn't shower?" said a girl in the back, scoffing.

Everyone knew who the girl was inferring to and automatically turned their attention onto her. A nearby boy held his nose as he stated aloud, "You smell like shit."

An uncontrollable, burning irritation initiated in her eyes and throat. She felt utterly exposed and ashamed when both laughter and sounds of disgust emerged from her peers. She knew this was going to happen and yet she desperately wished the floor would open up and eat her whole.

Meanwhile, Sasuke hid a smirk behind the clasped hands that rested against his chin. He had seen the whole incident in the cafeteria from his table, and though he usually didn't care what other people did to show off their supposed authority, _she_ was there among the terrified nerds. So he watched the ridiculous bullying, keeping his eyes on the pink-head. He knew she had been staring at him that morning in the hallways, having seen the distinguishable hair from his peripheral vision, and for his own amusement turned to her direction, only to see her immediately scurry away in anxiety.

He found it even more amusing when people started complaining in the classroom and lazily waited for the imminent situation to occur. When it did, he watched her slouched, humiliated form as she tried to keep to herself and almost wished he could see the mortified expression on her face.

She sensed what felt like a hundred eyeballs ogling her in repulsion at that moment. The teacher had difficultly commanding the class to pay attention so after some detention warnings, all reluctantly did as they were told. However, it took a while for the tears of sheer embarrassment to stop gathering in her eyes; that was when she noticed a pair of eyes continuing boring familiar holes into her back. The peculiar sensation she felt yesterday returned and it confirmed her suspicions that it had been _him_ who had been watching her when she was at her locker. Why didn't it click the same day when he had been staring at her before?

Strangely, this time the staring didn't last long as the previous incidents. After gathering herself and attempting to return her focus onto the lesson, an unwanted curiosity filled her being. He was somewhat ignoring her and, though it was confusing, it was also certainly relieving. It was like he lost interest. If that was true, then all she had to do was stay out of the way, _his way_, as usual and not be stupid enough to meddle with things that are none of her business.

With that thought in mind, it calmed her considerably. Things could go back to normal and this whole situation will soon be forgotten.

At the end of class, she waited until everyone else left. It was Friday so students started talking about their weekend plans, even with one more class period left of the day. She heard some of their plans and there was the weekend to look forward to, although she didn't have any special plans, nonetheless, it was a weekend of not having to be here at school. Time passed by more quickly that way and this was the last year to look forward to. All of this wouldn't last much longer.

She still had to determine exactly what to do after high school with the entrance exams coming up in a couple of months, but there would be time for that. Packing up at her own pace, she was again the last one to leave. When she slipped on her backpack, she froze once she realized there was another presence behind her. She panicked. _Please don't let it be..._

Someone cleared their throat and she looked to the front to see the teacher expectedly waiting for the classroom to be cleared. She moved until the door came closer in range and refused to see who was following behind her. She didn't have to see to know it was him. The faint smell of cigarettes reached her sense of smell and was agitating to a certain extent.

The next thing she knew, he had neared and was quickly invading her personal bubble; the same bubble that he already broke into without effort. Her heartbeat started to increase while she was subconsciously aware that her hair leaked awfully and he smelled clean, almost fresh out the shower with a hint of peppermint.

Momentarily distracted by the distinct whiff of mint, a low voice spoke in her ear that made her shiver and remember the last time he was behind her with his cold hands, intent on removing her clothes. Her heart was pounding so hard that she felt it in her throat, eventually making it difficult to breathe.

"Meet me on the rooftop after school."

It was said in a strict tone and implied that any argument would be out of the question, not that she would dare to protest aloud anyway. Time stilled as she let his statement sink into her understanding, eyes widening, before he roughly pushed past her to the door. Her movements became shaky as she breathed in the last traces of peppermint and cigarettes while following him out. Did she hear him right? She watched his back after they exited until the two boys from earlier joined him and headed off to a different hallway.

Instead of heading towards the third floor like she did during the small break between classes, her legs took her to the nearest restrooms to avoid any further confrontations. Yet as she entered the restroom, she immobilized at the sight of the familiar person; Ami was looking at herself in the mirror and talking on her cell phone. Almost instantly, Ami turned towards her and glared. Sakura prepared to leave, knowing her presence was causing a disturbance, but Ami suddenly called out to her. "Come here."

Though she was sure that there was an intention of foul play, she couldn't help but to obey. Was Ami angry for what she had seen happen in the changing rooms? She honestly had no idea that someone would be there during lunch. It wasn't her fault, yet there was a high doubt that Ami would believe her.

"My shoes are dirty. Clean them," ordered Ami, giving her a look of distaste before resuming to her conversation on phone.

For a moment, she stood dumbly, feelings hurt, before slowly nodding and accepting the unkind demand. Walking towards the sinks, she took some paper towels and drenched them a bit with water. After that, she awkwardly stood a few feet away from Ami, but the purple-haired girl did not seem to take off her shoes anytime soon; instead she inspected her smooth face in the mirror while listening to her phone.

A few seconds passed by until she comprehended the task completely. Slowly, she lowered to the not so clean floor nearest to Ami's shoes and began scrubbing. The shoes weren't dirty at all she quickly noticed and stopped momentarily. Ami paused from her phone to look down and tapped her foot threateningly, which Sakura took the warning seriously. Wiping the invisible dirt, a movement from the bottom of the restroom stalls caught her notice.

There was someone else in the restroom as she stared at the girl's shoes. Who could it be? It was embarrassing to be seen like this, on her knees cleaning like a worthless maid. Her head jerked back to Ami's shoes. Was Ami waiting for this person? If so, then was Yamanaka Ino in there? Instantly she remembered the blonde was in her history class where she was humiliated. What must she think of her now? She was momentarily frightened when the lock on the door clicked and started to open, she stopped in her movements, which Ami didn't even notice.

The door opened to reveal someone else: a brown-haired girl, one of Ami's lackeys, gave her both a confused and disgusted look before walking towards the sinks.

"—of course she doesn't know. She's too much of a ditz to notice!"

The girl who was washing her hands sneered along with Ami's laugh. Sakura wondered what she was talking about but then Ami finished her conversation and walked towards a stall. The action indicated that her job was done and she stood up to wash her hands as well. The other girl was waiting for Ami, reapplying her lipstick in the mirror. Her brown eyes glanced over to the pink-head.

Sakura was somewhat used to this. People would sometimes stare at her without an apparent reason; the looks directed at her were not of pity or repugnance, rather in straightforward curiosity. As if some had trouble believing that such a person exists with pink—

"So, is like your hair color real or what?"

Green looked up to brown, not surprised by the question asked since she heard it so many times from all types of people. In the past, and even now, something always forbade her to answer as memories began to stir up in her mind.

The girl sighed when a reply wasn't given. "Pink is wasted on the likes of you."

Of course, Sakura heard worse remarks from females, yet it didn't stop the familiar feel of hurt. Why couldn't anyone just accept—? A forced sound echoed loudly in the room, stopped for a second, and continued at a louder altitude. Blinking in confusion, she had recognized that sound. Someone was retching in the stalls and the only one currently in there was…

"Get out now. You're not needed." The girl snapped at her while she took out her own cell phone.

Out of habit, she nodded before retreating, but the stall opened with a bang. Ami came out of the cubicle, wiping her mouth with a cloth, and with a minor stagger, walked towards her. Sakura was distracted by Ami's watery, red eyes, she wasn't prepared for the swift slap that connected harshly with her cheek.

"That's what you get for being so nosy. Heh, I don't exactly blame your curiosity," smiled Ami wickedly, "since I'm sure that _no guy_ on earth would want to touch you, filthy bitch."

The slap stung and brought hot tears. One of her hands had reached to palm the cheek. The brown-eyed girl had solely gaped, not understanding the reason behind Ami's action. Ami returned to the sinks to check her reflection. "Get out."

Not wanting or needing to be told twice, Sakura ran from the room and into the hallways, cradling her cheek while withholding her tears. It was the first time that someone had given her a direct hit. The injuries she received in all her school years were minor; from feet tripping her to pushes from people so she would get out of their way, and with her poor balance, she was defenseless.

Ami never liked her. She knew that from when Ami first saw her, but she still didn't understand why the purple-haired girl hated her so much. _What did I ever do to make her hate me this much?_ Refusing to let the tears fall in public, she hurriedly reached her last class. She didn't want to be there anymore. All she wanted was to go home. As the incident ebbed away minutes later, concentration was still difficult to accomplish when another predicament took its place.

The grip on her pencil slackened when she thought back on his command. What did _he_ want? She hadn't wronged him; in fact, she fully intended never to cross paths with him. Her teeth pinched at the skin of her lower lip in anxiety. She looked at the clock, dreading the time, and the sickening feeling returned. He told her to go to the rooftop, the same place where he touched her against her consent. Throughout class, she repeatedly glanced at the clock, alarmed that it seemed that each time she did, time progressed rapidly.

_What did he want? What did he want? _The same question ruminated countless of times and she was nowhere close of finding an explanation.

"All right," announced Kurenai, "Homework is due at the beginning of the next class. No excuses."

As the class groaned and complained, her eyes widened. It was already time to go? All around her, students were talking as they picked up their things and headed out submerged in their own lives. But—she suddenly remembered to copy down the assignments written on the board. In the haste, her usual neat handwriting was shaky and sloppy. She zipped up her bag and carried her book.

With the book against her chest, she walked to the stairs. Each step was harder to make than the previous as conflict invaded and battled in her mind. Her feet took her from the steps leading down to the ones that headed up. Certain flashes of _that_ incident also emerged: the uncontrollable anger shown in his actions, the smoke fogging her vision, the taste of it and the feel of his hands on her body. She hesitated when she reached the last flight of stairs that lead to the roof.

A voice in her head responded to the dilemma she was faced with. _**This isn't a good idea. Leave before he realizes!**_ He was probably waiting up there and she had a feeling he wasn't very patient. She didn't want to anger him but why was she even listening to him? She was sure he would try something cruel again. Shaking her head, she made her decision and was ready to run like her conscious advised. Quickly, she swung on her foot and turned around, barely taking two steps when she unexpectedly slammed into something.

Her backpack contributed to her poor balance as the weight pulled her forward. Out of surprise, she had dropped her textbook, which fell down, nearly hitting her feet. Her eyes snapped shut, prepared for the pain from the fall. However, an arm snaked around her waist and strongly halted her body from surrendering to gravity. Time froze when it settled into her comprehension, but it was not enough to react before she was pulled up and pushed against the wall. Her backpack took most of the impact and she tried to maintain both feet to stay firm on the ground albeit on different steps.

The hands that had pushed her to the surface let go, only to pin both her arms at her sides as hot, cigarette breath filled her nostrils. She choked on the air she inhaled, the main reason being that she was caught by _him,_ and became motionless.

"Going somewhere?"

Even in that monotone, his voice caused terror to rouse within and was shortly accompanied by her racing heart and trembling lower lip.

"Were you running away from me?"

She turned her face away at his hard tone, not able to take the equal hard stare from those black eyes, especially at this proximity. In turn, he continued to intently gaze down at her, knowing that it unnerved her to a maximum.

He had been walking up the stairs when he spotted her at the top, clearly troubled with what to do. Curious, he waited silently with his hands in his pockets to see what she would do. He didn't think that she would flout his order, yet when she shook her head, his hands clenched. She stood no chance against him.

His fingers tautened around her arms and a smirk appeared on his features when she unwillingly gave him a defeated expression.

"I didn't think so."


	7. Chapter 6: Caged

_Predator and Prey_

**Caged**

**

* * *

**

—

—

_I close my eyes and brace myself…_

_I only notice your face_

—

—

Even with her head lowered, he managed to catch a glimpse of a fading red imprint on the side of her face. He already knew she was not graceful and her movements were clumsy, but this was not a result from falling or bumping onto a surface as he would expect her to do. In fact, the red mark on her face strongly resembled a hand. He figured he was not the only person who she provoked a sense of hostility. He briefly wondered as to whose hand imprint it belonged to before onyx eyes focused to her dirtied scalp—the evidence of the girl's humiliation suffered about an hour or so ago.

After hearing his voice in addition to his looming presence, she was terrified to speak, and resorted into lowering her head. What did he want with her? Swallowing, she tried to not think of the painful grip on her arms as agonizing minutes slowly passed by. How was she going to get out of this now?

_**You're going have to take a stand if you want to run away!**_

The frightened girl quickly became torn between her conscious and fear.

And yet, not wanting to keep feeling so helpless, she swallowed again nervously before attempting to form the words that were screaming in her mind to be heard. "P-Please…"

Was that her voice? It did not sound like her voice at all. Even though she did not speak much at school, in front of her classmates or teachers that is, it could not have sounded like this. It was so…so…

The train of thought almost came to a halt when she felt fingers tighten in response.

"Let go of me," she whispered desperately though he did not move an inch. _What else can I do?_ She thought as eyes began to gather water.

_**Plead**_**.**

"…I have to get home. My…mother is waiting—"

"She's going to have to wait longer then," he finally spoke, tone completely monotonous, unsympathetic.

The pink-haired girl waited in anxiety until her small amount of courage sparked up once more. Why was he refusing? Why did he want to keep her here? "I d-didn't do anything."

"I gave you an order," he said simply, "And you disobeyed me."

How could he have known she was planning to flee? Unless he had been watching her...of course, he was never known to arrive early anywhere or wait for someone. How could she have expected him to be waiting up on the roof even if he was the one who picked the time and place?

_**You should have run away sooner. You shouldn't have listened in the first place. **_

It was her tendency to obey, a trait that was within her for years since she was a little girl, and she remembered all the praises she received for doing what she was told in school. Even if the people who ordered her around were bullies—male or female—she never wanted to anger them because they were…

_Taller, bigger, older…_

…_popular, good looking, sly…_

And when those bullies wanted something out of her, whether it was just for amusement at her nerdy appearance or behavior, it did not last more than five minutes before they lost interest and picked on someone else. But he…the dark-haired male standing right in front of her, what did he want? His intentions were unclear since he was not bothering to explain, and yet, she knew exactly what he wanted in the back of her mind.

Before she could think of _that_ humiliating incident, all of a sudden, one of his hands released her arm and rose to align with her face, palm visible, causing her to shut her eyes in response to the fear of injury automatically. Her stomach felt like it was about to plummet from the sudden action. Although nothing happened for a few seconds, she still kept her eyes closed tightly, recalling the sting from Ami's hand. His hand was larger and was highly probable that it would be more painful. Mentally, she tried to brace herself—

She flinched when digits connected to her left cheek in a gradual manner, raising her head up before running over the bumps and blemishes while slightly touching the rim of her glasses. It was an utterly different action than the one she expected, and that increased the beating of her heart nonetheless. It was too much to take in at first, but she slowly began to recognize the feel of all his fingers that were traveling further as his palm neared and settled on the side of her face, almost in a cradle.

"Do you know the reason why people injure you?"

She could not seem to completely comprehend what he said; her mind and body were malfunctioning, losing their coherence and making her feel sensations never felt before with the stroke of cool fingertips. His thumb was underneath the bottom frame of a lens while the other digits were spread over skin, meeting parts of her ear and jaw, ghostly moving back and forth as if touching the most fragile glass.

"They hurt you because…"

His fingers trailed forward, reaching her neck and producing ticklish commotions that made her quiver beyond her control. His hand pulled back in a teasing manner and settled higher on the side of her face, fingertips entering through the strands of her pink hair as his peppermint scent became stronger until his mouth was parallel with her ear. His breathing was at an easy flow compared to her abrupt inhales of air due to his proximity.

"…you deserve to be punished."

It was hypnosis, the way he was causing her mind to fall into complete disarray. Truthfully, she did not understand what he stated, her mind was focused on the touch—his touches. However, the seductive miasma emitted by his actions quickly evaporated when her head was roughly jerked to the side, pink hair pulled by his clenched hand.

It was unexpected, snapping her slow state back into the fearful, cautious one as she gasped. He kept pulling, making her whimper, and he said calmly, "Do not disobey me again."

Sakura could not speak at all, not even to voice out the automatic apology she had whispered countless times throughout her life. He did not release his grip on her hair until he affirmed she knew he had the upper hand.

"And since you disobeyed, tell me, what do you think should be your punishment?"

—_Little girls who do not listen will get hurt. Be careful of everything around you_—

—_Why can't you watch where you're going? Hideous bitch, even those huge glasses aren't much use if you don't know where the fuck you're going_—

—_Why won't you obey me, little Saku-chan?_—

He observed the clouded look forming in her eyes. There was something in her mind, he quickly noted, something whirling in that little head of hers. What could it be? Not lingering long on the question, a hard stare entered his jet orbs as he examined the girl's muddy green irises to the dark circles underneath.

_Weak._

Why was she so pathetically weak? It was everything about her that radiated weakness. From her short, fragile frame to her barely audible pleads. That sort of weakness witnessed was enough to fuel his irritation. How can such a…_human being_—it was almost difficult to believe she was though her shaky breaths and rapid heartbeats proved that fact—exist?

His hand continued to clutch her pink hair, ready to shatter whatever was occupying inside her little head. "There are so many punishments…" he drawled, "...that I can think of."

It was only when she blinked naively a few seconds later when his other hand rose, releasing her captive arm and reaching for her face.

"I can fill your mouth with smoke again," he said as his thumb traced her lower lip, "think your lungs can handle more this time?"

It was such an intimate touch of the hand compared to the forceful other clutching her mane. Yet as intimate as it was, it was also a mocking caress dragging over her trembling lower lip. This small act widened her eyes in disbelief.

"I can throw you into the lion's den…more public," his eyes quickly searched her dirtied hair and the red handprint on her face, "...humiliation."

The blurred faces of students laughing around her quickly flashed in front of her eyes. Why did it always seem the torment she endured worsened every year? At what lengths would they go if he ordered them to—

"Or…" he began, his lips were reaching towards her ear as his forceful hold lowered, only to take hold of her waist, "I can—"

There was an unpredictable push, creating distance—a few inches was enough—between the two bodies as she found her escape by dodging him to the left. Her movements were slow and futile as he easily grabbed her backpack, forcing her backwards, as he pulled it off her shoulders onto the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, he pushed her harder against the wall. She emitted a groan of pain once her back connected to the surface.

"I think I need more time to think about your punishment," he hissed.

He did not give her time to think about what he said because he had stepped away a few feet. There was a moment of relief, a moment of freedom, but that was quickly destroyed when he picked up her bag and began to pull her roughly down the stairs. Her feet reacted in time so she did not trip as his pace progressed. Viridian eyes briefly noticed the book on the floor and she attempted to stop but he kept pulling her down.

"Leave it. It is not important."

She wanted to voice her protests but could not. This was happening too quickly again. Once more, she was in a situation where she was powerless.

_**You are such a weakling.**_

_I tried…I really did_. She could not even convince herself as to why she was letting him do this. _But he's stronger than me._

_**Just because he's a male does not mean anything! Do something. Scream!**_

_I can't…I can't do that._

There was not a response in return from her conscious. Scream? God, when was the last time she screamed? Briefly, an image of her younger self emerged, screaming when she witnessed two older boys beating a cat to death. Of course, there was also the time when her mother had been—

He had stopped. Two members of the school faculty were walking ahead of them, occupied in conversation. Her instinct informed this was her chance to do what her inner had pointed out. However, instead of opening her mouth to alert them, she attempted to release her arm from his hand, missing out on how his eyes were focused on everything around him, checking and calculating.

The grip on her wrist felt like it was bruising. She winced when his fingers tightened further in response. Like a rag doll, he pulled her across the halls once the hallway was clear. Her eyes frantically searched for someone in sight for help, but they met no one on the way. It was like he was an expert in this. On a wandering thought, she recalled how she would never sense his presence until the moment girls would make it known by squealing or talking excitedly to get his attention.

It did not take long for her to realize that he was leading her out through back door. It was an exit she had used herself when she did not want to be trampled by the rushing students wanting to go to the nearby hot spots to hang out. No one would definitely see what was occurring now. This increased the existing fear and she swallowed.

"Stop..." she said weakly.

He ignored her or maybe did not hear her at all. She had trouble hearing herself but one thing was coherent. She knew she had to get away. It was common sense. Why was she here? Why was she letting him do this? As her mind became more frantic, her eyes watered on their own the moment they stepped outside the building. The commands from her inner earlier finally made much more sense.

"I- I'll..." she swallowed again, "I'll scream—"

Suddenly, she was pulled to the right and pushed until her back hit the school wall painfully. The impact against this wall was harder and it momentarily caused her to lose her breath. Recovering hastily, her somewhat blurred eyesight notified her that they were now located behind a dumpster, away from prying eyes.

"Do that and you'll regret it," he threatened. "You will do as I say."

Before she knew it, he backed off, grabbed her wrist again, and continued to drag the small girl away. The green grass of the school field came into view and it was all she could focus on. The branches of the trees were so still. Maybe she could somehow run—

"Get on…now."

His statement diverted her thinking. Viridian eyes focused on the object in front of them and she became horrified.

"No..." she said instantly. When did they stop? Frantically, she whispered "…I don't want to."

"Get on," his voice slightly rose, as he pushed her bag into her arms.

He had pushed her bag so forcefully against her that she staggered. She nodded fearfully as he got on and started it, making the black motorcycle roar to life. Her legs were trembling out of control after she had jumped at the loud noise.

"_Get on,_" he repeated in a deathly tone when she had not moved.

It honestly felt like an outer body experience as she found herself slipping her backpack on and trying to sit behind him. It was difficult because she was trying to do so without touching him. He placed his helmet on and waited until he felt her legs on his sides to press on the petal a little. The motorcycle gave a jerk and her arms tightly went around his lower torso in bewilderment.

"Eager, I see," he mocked with a smirk, expecting the response she gave.

Her arms began to loosen at his remark so he acted first by completely stepping on the petal and causing her to hold on tighter.

It was the combination of wind and velocity that made her feel so unprotected. Of course, the lack of helmet made everything deafening to her ears. It was an instinct living beings had, to shield themselves from danger, so she had lowered her head into his back as an alternative. She was absolutely terrified she would fall off because of her heavy bag. Extreme pain was all she could think if that were to happen.

But if she fell, the result could be more than excruciating pain. If she fell, it was over.

Her arms and legs were the only support she had, thus she had to trust completely in herself to hold on tight. But that was proving to be complicated as her arms began to ache and she was slowly starting to slip. The fear-stricken girl wanted this to be over so badly.

Sensing that he was slowing down, she tried to regulate her breathing. There was a sound of something opening before the speed picked up again. It was about ten seconds before the vehicle came to a sudden halt, gravity pushing her face more against his back. The running motor also came to a stop.

She was afraid to look up, yet at the same time wanted to let go of him. She could not help but to notice the same mixture of cigarette and peppermint on his clothing. The scent was something she realized when her face was buried onto his back during the terrifying ride. However, she had not concentrated much on it due to the fear. It was only when she was at this proximity to the dark material that her sense of smell picked up something else. It smelled of burning wood. Or was it the air around them?

Finally, he shifted and she reacted by sitting up, but her body became unbalanced. As he descended, she was able to dismount from the other side. The winds had caused her hair to become frizzier, pink strands escaping from the braided pigtails. Her glasses were fogged and wet by the hot tears from the fear experienced. Bringing up a finger, she dabbed at the glass to make it clear.

"Hurry up," he demanded, leaving her behind to catch up.

Her eyes elevated from the ground, meeting the sight of a closed gate. If she ran, maybe she could slip out through the bars—

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled across the pathway to inside the house, shutting the door behind them. She stumbled but he kept pulling her until they reached past the foyer and into the main room. When his fingers released her arm, he sat down on the couch with a hint of laziness. The girl was left standing awkwardly as she tried not to see his stare. The silence was unnerving.

_What am I doing here? This isn't real… How did I get here? What does he want?_

She never wanted to be in the comfort of her home as badly as she felt in that moment. The pink-haired girl was in a stranger's house, not to mention she was alone with a boy…alone with _him_ all over again. Her mother would be ashamed to learn she was alone with a boy, especially if he was the one who had abused her and would not leave her alone.

In a rare moment, she decided to speak, although she ended up stuttering, "What d-did you want to t-talk about?"

He did not answer. Her eyes dodged his observing gaze. And ever so suddenly, she remembered the past days she suffered which seemed like an eternity.

"Sit down," he ordered.

Indeed, the pink-haired girl did hear those words, even though her body had trouble processing the command. And when she continued to stand, he stood up with his eyes narrowing a bit. "You look like you're suffering from fatigue."

Once he began to walk forward, she walked backwards automatically. What she did not realize was the proximity of the other couch behind her until the back of her legs hit the edge of it. He continued to walk towards her and out of panic she fell backwards onto the couch.

The dark-haired male continued to follow the trapped female and took the place besides her. She looked away as the need to escape this scene was evident on her features.

"You're so stiff."

The nearness of his voice made her flinch. It was in that moment that she was shoved down by his hands. Before she could attempt to sit up again, two hands turned her so she was lying on her stomach. The familiar chills returned at the feel of him towering over her body. She had forgotten about the bag she still had on until his hands positioned themselves on her shoulders and pulled off the backpack. There was a thud on the floor but she did not think too much of it because those hands returned and fingers began pressing.

What she felt was more than slight pain when certain areas of her shoulders were pressed, until relief followed almost instantly, along with a need to have those areas massaged again with greater force. Of course, it clicked in her mind about what he was doing, but she was preoccupied with the effects of the action itself. She massaged her tense muscles before but it was always done in an unsatisfied way. The force he used was uncomfortable yet contradictory in its results. Her eyes shut as thumbs found areas she had not known were sore.

Her common sense attempted to struggle through the sudden submissiveness of her body. He was touching her again. That fact repeated over and over across her mind. Why was he touching her like this? He had been the cause of her nightmares and worries over the past days and yet…

A small moan of relief escaped her lips without her realization.

That small noise she emitted caused a smirk to appear on his visage at her reactions. It was just so easy to make her react the way he wanted. This was further proof that she was extremely powerless. He carried on with the movement of his hands and fingers on her back until he felt a change in her body.

The girl's fingers that had been clutching at the couch's fabric loosened. His hands were currently on her shoulder blades. Pressing and circulating before lowering them to the sides of her ribcage. The large sweater was a hassle, yet he was able to feel her form underneath it. Still, he continued to massage, ignoring the dark thoughts passing through his mind. As minutes passed, he knew for a fact that she was becoming drowsy.

The hand movements on her body were not forceful any longer. Instead, they were slow and caressing. She was unsure of how much time has passed but she was sensing the sluggishness of her thinking. _Don't…close._ It was difficult keeping her eyes open. And her effort was unsuccessful for they drooped until they closed.

How long should he wait? The smirk on his face grew wider as a hand slipped underneath her sweater as he continued his empty ministrations. When she did not notice any change, he reached further. But he had barely touched the bottom of a breast when her arm shot out to stop it. The action had awoken her from the stupor. He did not calculate such an immediate recovery. However, this miscalculation was not about to halt any of the games planned. He kept his hand inside her sweater, basking in the warmth contained inside it while he slowly neared her ear, "I wanted to talk about…_you._"

Whether it was his low voice or what he stated, it startled her and at once, her limbs began moving. He complied by backing off to let her sit up and shift away from him. As if it just dawned on her that she had been underneath him, she lowered her head in shame before taking a frenetic stand on her feet.

"M-Me?" she barely managed to whisper. Pink eyebrows creased in confusion.

He smirked. She watched how his lips curled on porcelain-like skin. His skin was flawless. "You're a fascinating…" he paused, "thing…an ugly one, but fascinating."

She shifted her weight to her other leg and looked at the floor. An inner voice commented offhandedly. _**He's better looking than you'll ever be.**_

The inner comment dragged everything into the light in sudden realization. She had let him touch her after everything that had happened…and what was worse was that she had found it to be relaxing. Nothing but sheer horror and disgust emerged. After all he had done to her, why did she let him…why did he touch her? But most of all…

"Why me?" she whispered, "I said I wouldn't bother you anymore and I just want to be left alone—"

"Because," he interrupted, "I want you to amuse me."

She was silent. What did he mean?

"You're the only thing that amuses me. So I'm _telling _you to let me..." he sat back on the couch quite comfortably, "do what I want with you."

His statement shocked her for a few seconds until she was reminded of other people that wanted to be her friend in the past under some pretense or other. She bit her lower lip as she protectively crossed her arms over her chest. She did not want to be near him. Nevertheless as the situation was sinking into her mind, she knew that if she did not act smartly, things could get out of hand.

It took some shaky intakes of air, a repetition of mixed words, but she was able to quietly reply, "My mother is waiting for me at home. I d-don't want to worry her. I'm…I'm sorry."

She proceeded to grab her bag without so much as glancing in his direction. Yet she could not help the fact that she felt as though she needed his permission to move. _**That's ridiculous. Leave. You have two legs. Run**_—Slowing down, she tried to remember the way to the front door as thoughts struck her mind like lightning. This was absurd. She should not have agreed to go with him. She was in a stranger's house and this was entirely unimaginable—

"No one is waiting for you."

She stopped in her tracks.

"And no one knows you're here."

Her thumping heart nearly dropped to the bottom of her stomach. She swallowed wondering how it was even possible he knew her mother was not home. The familiar heavy feeling of dread increased.

"As much as I know, you don't have plans for today or the weekend."

Her eyes snapped shut. This was not happening. It was another dream…another nightmare. She had to wake up. _Wake up! This can't be… Wakeupwakeupwake_—

"So why don't you stay here?" he said as if it was a casual question, "It's dangerous for a girl to stay at home by herself where _anyone_ can break in and commit crimes."

—_wakeupwakeup_—

She could not be alone with someone she did not trust, with someone she could not even trust herself with. Why must things like this happen? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

It was building up. The overwhelming feeling was building up. It was clogging her mind, then switched to sending multiple images of past events to her brain, and threatened her body with uncontrollable trembling. Why was everything moving in circles suddenly? Her small, dainty fingers unconsciously dug in her palms. She was losing control. She cannot take it anymore…she felt so sick, she wanted to puke, she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream—

—and she snapped.

"You think I'm any safer here?"

The fear that had been growing since the moment he had first came into contact with her was overflowing, overfeeding her nervous system and fragile mind to the point where something within her took over.

While he would never admit, he was taken aback. The second she had turned, something felt tremendously different from the girl's previous aura. He studied her for a moment: the sudden vividness in the emeralds blocked by heavy glasses, the blood circulating to her face in the form of pink cheeks, and the heavy breathing. He was definitely amused at her outburst. "You do have a temper. How…_interesting._"

Instead of retreating like expected, she continued angrily, "You're a sick pervert."

His eyes narrowed a bit. _What is this?_ Observing through the girl's unpleasant features, he saw different facial muscles used than the ones he would normally see. Judging from her preceding reactions, he did not think she had the capacity of showing this side of hers. Certainly, he had thought of pushing her until she went over the edge, just to find out what was lurking behind the frail tendencies, if anything beside the weakness existed. Although, she was human —a pathetic one— and he knew there would be a day in which he would see this almost non-existent trait, but now was not the time for her defiance. Standing with an expressionless face, he spoke lowly, "Sick…"

By the way she was situated, she was still vigilant and not backing down as she did before. Preparing to put her in her place, he started walking and stopped mere inches from her small frame. Momentarily, there was an igniting flare in her eyes as he had approached but was gone the next instant. "…pervert?"

He had seen the thoughts float across her eyes before she acted on them. In the next motion, a backpack was flinging and he speedily dodged it. The pitiable movement was made on impulse for she did not count on the heavy weight of the bag, and it soon began to swing her out of balance. As she dropped the bag in order to catch herself from falling, he took advantage by grabbing her arm forcibly.

"Let me go!"

As defiant as she was, this unquestionably became more entertaining in his opinion. It was a rush witnessing her fiery emotions fade into ones of pain when his grip tightened. Experimentally, he took one of her hands and started to twist her fingers, curious to find out how long it would take for her to retreat into that feeble state. Whimpering, her legs shook and muscle by muscle she cowered. Biting her lips, her eyes shut as an abrupt silence followed, excluding the sound of her rapid breathing, after she realized she could not struggle out of his grasp.

Minutes passed, yet her breathing continued to be the same with the fear of having her fingers broken. Sakura found herself thinking so many thoughts at once. What had happened? What did she do? What did she do in front of him? She had yelled at him without realizing it completely. It had been beyond her control—

"Want to know your punishment?" he broke the silence and stopped her breathing altogether.

The pink-haired girl had automatically associated pain with punishment. She could not even imagine what ideas were on his mind.

"Be my little housemaid."

_What?_ Her forehead and eyebrows once more creased in bewilderment.

"Clean everything," he emphasized on the demand by bending some of her fingers backwards. When she winced, he continued, "I want it spotless." And with that, her hands were free for her to caress in instinct while he left the room.

Her viridian orbs ran around the room she was in, taking everything in. It was clean and with simple furniture yet at the same time she could not help but to notice—_how unused_—all the dust. If this was punishment, it was not as bad as she thought it would be. If she complied with what he wanted, there would be no reason for her to be here anymore. This was the only way to guarantee her freedom and without another moment's hesitation, she gathered whatever was left of her tolerance and nerves to prepare for the task at hand.

_Where to begin?_ He did not bother telling her where the cleaning supplies were. How was she going to find a broom in this big house? She was in the main room, that much she could gather—

She jumped at a series of loud crashes. Whipping her body around towards the noise, she saw several pieces of broken glass and dishes on the floor. For a split moment, she believed she caused it to happen. Maybe she had bumped into something without her realizing. She knew she was clumsy enough to do such a thing. Her eyes began to widen. This surely would anger him and he would give her another severe punish—

"Clean it up. I will not let you go until I am satisfied."

In a split second, she understood. He had done that on purpose. Why did this even surprise her? It continued to oppose her logic when he walked towards her unexpectedly. The girl did not have the time to lower her head when he pulled her frames from her face. Mouth slightly agape, she blinked uncontrollably, not used seeing without her glasses. As a reflex, her hand had followed her glasses in his; however, it was blocked by his arm.

"Get to work."

Squinting, all she saw was a black clad form moving away from her as she was left with a nearly useless sense. He must have known the reason why she was willing to carry out his punishment. Crestfallen, she lingered in the room, knowing that it was going to take longer to finish. _**He takes you for an idiot. Why don't you prove to him otherwise? **__Because…_

Hushing her mind, her arms rose as she took baby steps across the room. Blinking and narrowing her eyes, she tried to feel her way out of the room by touching tables and furniture. In less than ten minutes, she had opened three doors in the hall but did not find what she needed. In a short while later, she managed to stumble into the kitchen, where she finally was able to make out the sight of mops and brooms inside a small closet. Dragging the materials out, she was at a brief lost at where to start before she recalled the broken glass on the floor in the main room.

Carefully, she made her way back and began sweeping it up into a pile before kneeling to put the pieces into a trash bag. Her nose suddenly felt itchy and she sneezed. There was so much dust in the room and while her allergies have improved since childhood, soon enough, her throat was itchy and she began coughing. Eyes reddening, she needed water to help suppress the fits of coughs. Hurrying to stand, she placed her hands on the floor, but let out a low whimper of pain when her left hand came into contact with a sharp edge. Bewildered, she clutched at her hand as warm liquid began to fill her palm and she squinted to find a bleeding wound.

The coughing did not halt, her mind ordered her to calm down and take full intakes of air before concentrating on the cut. It took about thirty seconds to be able to swallow, but as she focused on the injury, her hand was snatched away. Her head snapped up to see the blurred sight of him crouching front of her, inspecting the damage, and without a word, he stood up bringing her up with him.

Maneuvering the girl through the hallway, he dragged her up a flight of stairs and into a room. Once they entered, he released her arm and disappeared through another door leaving her unsteady so she sank to her knees. The ends of her eyelashes with wet with tears and her hands were dripping with blood. When he returned, he pulled her hand from her chest.

"It's not that deep," he muttered in annoyance at her exaggeration.

At the sight of gushing blood, she started to shake. The red blood was pouring so fast. She was too focused on it to realize what he was doing. Before she could figure out what was happening, her hand was suddenly lifted a few inches and was enclosed with something warm and wet. Lethargically, green irises widened at the sight of her hand in his _mouth._ The feel of teeth lightly grinding and a tongue sweeping on her palm was too much to take in, and after a moment, there was a tug—that was enough to sink in. He was…_ sucking at her skin._

Wordlessly, she watched her palm being sucked. It was such an uneasy feeling and it alarmed her body. Like a confused animal in a surreal situation, she looked up in all directions before meeting his eyes. The sight was blurred, but what did not deceive her poor vision was that those eyes were definitely jet black. What was he thinking…doing _this?_ At the emphasis of what she could not even think through in her mind, chills prickled her skin and there was a strong desire to pull her limb away. Even in her deprived state of vision, she could see his gaze was focused straight on her and that it was dangerous… _predatory. _

She pulled her hand but he kept a firm hold.

When he released her hand, there was blood smeared on his bottom lip, unbeknownst to him. She could not look away and created an instinct to get away from him. If only she was able to move because he had reached for something lying on the ground nearby and took something out. With a small towel, he added pressure to her injury, and opened a container. Wincing when the alcohol touched her flesh, she could only watch him cleanse and wrap the bandage around her hand until the wound was covered.

Once her hand was back in her possession, a silence followed. It was broken when his arm extended and reached towards to her face, making her jump back, yet was stopped when he took hold of her arm, keeping her from retreating. And with one hard tug, she came forcibly forward, inches from his face.

Up close, she was able to determine the fact that his gaze was scrutinizing as dark eyes looked into her own. He spoke, "Just how bad is your eyesight?"

The question was unexpected; she did not know how to answer. Why did he want to know that? Sakura had worn glasses since she could walk and majorly depended on her frames to be able to function and live normally. How bad was her eyesight? Well…

"I know you can see most of what I'm doing, judging by your reactions, yet...it's somewhat ironic. The only thing that you have…isn't completely of quality."

His words generated confusion, in fact, there always seemed to be confusion to everything he stated. Before she could take apart his statements in order to make sense of them, he dropped an item in front of her, which produced a small cracking sound, and stood from his crouched position.

"Clean."

It was when she realized it was her frames. Once she put them on, she noticed the crack. These glasses were not expensive, but were the only ones she could afford. She was relieved to find she could still see through the cracked glass. It was then that she also realized she was in a messy room with clothes sprawled on the unkempt bed and floor. As she looked around, she knew it was his room because it was the only room so far she had seen that looked like someone actually lived in it. However, it was a surprise because she did not think he was the messy type.

_**Unless he did this on purpose and he wants you to clean everything. Really, it shouldn't be a surprise after all he wants to make a fool out of you…**_

Ignoring her inner thoughts, she wiped any traces of tears on her face with her fingers. Going around the room, she picked up the clothes. Sakura wondered if the clothes were dirty because there was a lack of stains, and the only way to make sure was to…

Slowly, she lifted the shirt to her nose and inhaled.

Peppermint…_and of course, the foul smell of cigarettes._

But where did that smell of peppermint come from? Was it a laundry detergent or cologne? Looking up from the shirt, she saw an empty bin in the corner of the room. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him further. With that she made a decision, she was going to wash all the clothes on the floor. One by one, she picked them up and put them inside the bin. In the back of her mind, she hoped that she did not pick up some of his undergarments. That would be humiliating…

Once she was done with that, she walked toward the untidy bed that was big enough for two people. Her bed back home was smaller, even the bed she shared with her mother when she was a toddler was made for one. She pulled the sheets off the bed, intent on washing them as well. As she did that, she could not help but to think…

_What did he mean?_ It was all on her mind as she continued to clean the house. _The only thing she had was not of quality?_

The atmosphere in this dwelling was so full of _gloom_. The walls were bare, save for the few mirrors and simple decorative items. In fact, there were several different colored squares on the wall. _Picture frames used to hang there._ She thought to herself. There was not a single picture frame in this house. And for the first time, she wondered if there other people living here with him. Where were his parents? For a moment, she paused wiping the small table in front of her. Sakura had never thought about his parents or any family members.

Feeling paranoid, her head moved left to right as if she was a deer that sensed danger in the middle of the forest. This did not make sense. It seemed like no one else had been inside this house for a long time due to the large amounts of dust. _**And where is he…?**_The sudden insight was eerie and motivated her to finish as quickly as possible so she could be in the comfort of her small home.

Gathering the bin of clothes, she went in search of the laundry room. This was not a new chore; in fact, she did her own laundry since she was eleven years old. She started on that task, remembering to be gentle with her bandaged hand. As if in a trance, she concentrated on the task, forgetting everything, and not realizing the sun was lowering deeper into the horizon.

The detergent she found was not of peppermint, but of a simple, crisp fragrance filling up the small room of the house. Once the washing, drying and pressing were finished, she picked up the basket of folded clothes and proceeded to walk out of the door. Without looking where she was going, she bumped into a surface. Snapping her head up, she saw his face and took a step back while she held onto the slipping basket in her arms. He stood there for a moment before taking the basket out of her hands, setting it down and took hold of her arm. His hand and fingers curled around skin that was growing to be familiar with his touch.

_Where is he taking me?_

This time she did not attempt to pull her arm away. What use could it be since she failed countless times before? Yet there was one thing that was evident while he pulled her up the stairs, she was feeling tired. The feeling was beginning to drag her down, in contrast to his forceful pull. He was heading for the direction of his bedroom. Perhaps he wanted her to clean more? However, they passed his door and entered another room where he stopped in the middle to release her arm.

"You'll stay here for the night."

She did not imagine how much that simple sentence could bring back the intensity of the fear she experienced earlier. Viridian orbs darted towards the exit, but he intercepted before she had the chance to leave. She pleaded. "I can't!"

Halting in her tracks so that she would not collide with his form, he took the opportunity to back her to a wall with dangerous, dark eyes. It swirled nerves and terror within her. What was he going to do? Here she was, absolutely unprotected in this house and alone with him. And he could do _anything_ to her. But what had happened with…her _household _duties? She had done exactly what he had asked. Subconsciously, she raised her arms to protect her upper body when her eyes were starting to burn.

"You will," he said with disdain, malice returning to his persona. "In fact, why don't you take a bath? It'll rid of that disgusting smell."

Truthfully, she had forgotten about the lunch incident, and when he brought it up, the humiliation came back. In her defenseless state, he began pushing her in the direction of another door within the room, the bathroom, and turned the facet to its fullest.

At the sound of powerful water filling up the tub, she shook her head. "No, please…stop!"

_**Just run! Run as fast as you can!**_She aimed for the exit but was stopped and she began to scream. He ignored her screams while he started to forcibly tug the sweater over her head. The thick glasses and her aggressive movements made it difficult to remove. They struggled until he grabbed both pink braids and pulled.

"Stop screaming or I'll drown you!" he hissed and she became still, her body heaving as she sobbed, hearing nothing but the violent run of water, quickly filling up the bathtub.

Sinking to the floor in defeat, the sweater was gone once her glasses had been knocked off to reveal a white long-sleeved shirt. She did not have time to react when he hoisted her up and put her in the tub. It produced a splash, hitting him with water, but she gasped when she was almost completely drenched.

He smirked. "Too cold?"

Without warning, he pushed her head underwater while she kicked and scratched at his arms, acting like a cat that was involuntary given a bath. For a few seconds he watched her struggle before letting go of her head. Immediately, she sat up coughing and shivering uncontrollably. Her shirt became transparent, making her bra visible, and he could see how her nipples perked in response of the cold water.

"Do you..."

His fingers teased the water in the tub. "…want me to bathe you?"

An inhaled gasp was her response before her body lurched into stronger coughs and chokes. What he had said brought unwanted images of her nude body in cold water…being touched by him. He did not make another move during her struggles to breathe. His face was stoic, his eyes darkened; making it difficult to decipher what was on his mind.

"You are predictable." And with that statement, he got up and left the room.

Once he stepped out of the bathroom, she attempted to get out of the freezing water as quickly as she could. Miscalculating her movements, she slipped out of the tub and landed hard onto the floor. Enduring the pain, she pulled her body to the nearest towel she could find to sooth her shivering body. It was so cold in here, so cold she did not find the necessary energy to move anymore, thus, she lay motionless, not faintly aware of how much time had passed. All that was her on mind was how cold it was. Her trembling body tensed at last, becoming so stiff, but it was not from the cold, she knew…

…she was being watched from the doorway.

"You..." he began with such a monotone.

What did he want her to do now? She had to find a way to escape. There was no way she was going to stay here overnight. It was unthinkable. Her mother would probably be back today—

"...bore me."

To say everything was confusion was a complete understatement at this point. All that she knew was that she had not stopped shivering, she was still clad in the wet garments…and that she was sitting behind him on his motorcycle again. Before she was allowed to leave the house, she had whispered the directions to her house—her haven. It was the only way she was going to get home. And the only way this was all going to end.

Her body was exhausted of the whole day's events. She could not even feel relief once everything came to a stop in front of her small home. She did not look at him as she got off, even when she almost fell from the imbalance. When her two feet touched the ground, the girl automatically began walking but was stopped when he grabbed her arm. Her head turned slowly in response to his tightening grip. Her tired eyes looked at the black helmet. A nearby light post was reflecting it, and she saw her terrified image looking back at her.

Once he released his grip, her body became alive. The girl ran to her front door. In her haste, she had trouble with the key. But when it finally opened, she burst in and shut the door. Her small hands secured every lock on the door. She made sure the windows were closed before she let her tired body sink downward onto the floor. It was so dark inside and usually this would make her uncomfortable, but this was nothing compared to what she endured in _that_ house. She yearned for her warm bed but she could not move a muscle.

She lay down on the cold floor for a few minutes before she dragged herself up the stairs. She did not make it pass her bedroom door and sank to her knees. Instead she curled into a ball. The girl's mind jittered with thoughts of what had happened. Was it so hard to believe? _I can't…think…I can't feel anything but…cold._

Surrendering to her mentality, her eyes began to slowly close. Her body continued to shiver, but it was lessening with each minute, calming down so that she would be able to enter the phase of sleep.

Meanwhile, in another place, two footsteps were walking through the door. The feet came to a stop once the destination was reached and the tall figure removed the helmet.

Onyx eyes were focused on the pink hairs—stray hairs—on his bathtub and a glinting object lying in the small pool of water. He turned towards the mirror where something caught his attention. There was a stain, dried blood to be exact, resting at the bottom and corner of his lip.

With one finger, he touched it briefly as he remembered the particular incident—the copper taste…the pathetic girl overall, and he smirked.

—

—

_Tomorrow is another day._

_Will you be ready to play?_

—

—

**NEXT CHAPTER: OBSESSION**


	8. Chapter 7: Obsession

_Predator and Prey_

**Obsession**

* * *

—

—

_You scurried into the wrong underground hole_—

_What is waiting for you with an open jaw?_

—

—

It was the type of dark green that resembled the leaves of an autumn tree on a cloudy day. The kind of green that blended with decaying browns as it neared the end of its life cycle. Of course, the dying green was fascinating to observe, but it paled in comparison to the vibrant shade of green that sparked out of nowhere. This tint was fresh like green apples, tempting anyone to take a bite and taste the sweet, tangy flavor. And without warning, it becomes a green so vivid, entrancing any eyes on it as the dark pupils begin dilating, becoming alive.

Like a broken record, that sight played over and over in his mind. It was strange to see the tint of her eyes change so dramatically. Opening his mouth a little, the cloud of smoke was released into the room as he took another drag of the cigarette. Things did not go the way he planned yesterday. He had meant to keep her overnight like a savage animal under observation and did not count on any form of retaliation. At least the pathetic girl proved the presence of a brain and the use of common sense. Still, he greatly disliked those who defied him and soon she will pay for that little incident.

For now, however, he could not deny the fact that he wanted to see that hidden emerald once more.

* * *

With a jolt, she had awoken from her short stupor and momentarily wondered why she was located on the floor and in wet clothing. It was not long before the incidents came crashing into her mind, like the initial feeling she had when she was dropped into cold water, halting her mind and heightening her senses. Then, ever so slowly, she stood on wobbly legs and dragged herself into the bathroom where she pulled off what she wore with great weariness.

Slumped, she stood in the shower and twisted the facets, hot water drenching her unclad, shivering body. The steam of the hot water hit the bottom of the tub and elevated into the small bathroom, making it even hazier to her already unclear sight. In the past, she used to conserve water and the electricity, but that fact was barely registered in her mind. All she could think of was how good the nearly scorching water felt against her numb skin. As the water calmed her exhausted body, she stared off into nothing, not having moved once since she stepped in.

It was perhaps about ten minutes later until she started to react. Slowly, she picked up the bottle of shampoo and bar of soap to begin to wash herself. When she was done, she could not help but to remain under the shower head a few minutes longer before twisting the knobs to shut the water off. Due to the steam in the room, she did not feel the slightest bit of chill and was relieved because of that fact. Her skin was not accustomed to handle such a drastic low body temperature, and in an immediate flash, remembered how cold the air was while she was taken home.

Unaware, she shivered as she reached for the glasses near the sink. Once her sight was restored, albeit the cracked areas of her glasses, she began to wrap herself with a towel. The girl also reached for her toothbrush and noticed an ant wandering on top of the sink. Ants were incredibly tiny, so her eyes zoomed in to see its front little limbs adjusting its antennae. She watched it move a few paces, stop to touch its antennae again, and continued along its way. The ant repeated this for a whole minute before she snapped out of it and brushed her teeth.

Remembering to be careful with her bandaged hand that she kept out of the water, she dressed in her warm pajamas and immediately crawled under her bed covers. It did not take long for her body temperature to rise, making her comfortable enough to fall asleep once more. Her mind had been cleared of all things once her head touched her pillow and her body finally began to recover from the stress and tension. Yet she remained vulnerable to the dreams from within, silently pursuing her mind.

_Fingers pressed onto her back…in a circulating motion, touching areas she had not known were sore. There was a lack of a looming presence above her. All she was aware of was sole hands working their way up and down her back. _

_It was a feeling of both pain…and pleasure._

_That feeling of sleepiness came over her again, luring her to surrender all thoughts and emotions. It was incredibly tempting…this soothing form of therapy. She involuntarily took the sweet bait when her eyes have drooped._

_Her eyes sent a chain reaction for her shoulders loosened, her breathing slowed, and her fingers uncoiled from their grip on the couch. And that was the moment she felt it. Those bare fingers that were trailing against the side of her clothed ribcage suddenly spoke to her skin with soft, but persistent strokes…they demanded one request…_

Hours later, instead of waking to a jolt like the previous nights, she slowly stirred to the sun's warm greetings through the open window curtain. The rays brought comfort and a sense of security as the girl remembered happier days waking up next to her mother when she was younger. For a moment, she allowed herself to stay in that position and simply cherished the warmth the yellow rays brought onto her form.

A few minutes ticked by until she sighed, sat up, and reached for her glasses on the side table. It was not until the second she placed them on that she saw an uneven sight, making her recall the incident that caused the cracks. At least she was still able to see through the lens, but these frames had to be replaced as soon as possible. Her attention was then brought onto her bandaged hand.

Standing quickly, she walked into the bathroom and opened a cabinet to retrieve the small safe aid kit. Sakura brought it back into her bedroom and carefully started to remove the current bandage. The wound was larger than she remembered, but thankfully it was not deep as she feared. She applied some ointment to the cut on her hand—it was surely to scar—before putting a new one on, making sure it was neatly wrapped.

At the same time, she tried to push away yesterday's events. She could not believe how she acted. She had _burst_ out. Where did that anger come from? It was not something she would even think of doing…ever. She had rarely felt anger in her lifetime because she had resorted to other emotions acting for her. This uncontrolled behavior made her shake. It just was not like her to do such a thing. And with that fact, came along the realization that things could have ended worse. What would have happened if he forced her to stay? What if she did not bore him?

Her slightly large forehead creased in worry while her mouth tightened as she lay back down in deep wonder. Whatever should happen now, she could never get herself into another situation like that. Her train of thinking was stopped when a loud rumble erupted from her stomach. Her gut was screaming in hunger, so much that it hurt. She had forgotten about food, especially since her last meal was yesterday morning. With that in mind, she set out for the kitchen in search of food.

What followed was an extremely quiet weekend because of her mother's absence. Sakura never thought she could harbor a strong desire to see her mother. Of course, she had been a rather clingy child but she yearned for her mother's embrace. Instead, Sakura took refuge in her mother's room and held onto one of the pillows, scented with a flowery fragrance. To keep herself occupied, she drowned herself in homework.

It was only when there was a sound of a key entering the door lock that she felt instant relief and protection.

* * *

A tall form leaned against the wall, just outside the school's back building with a cigarette placed between his lips. He had slipped out of mathematics class, headed towards the back of the school as he pulled the cigarette carton out. When he had exited, there were a few other students smoking as well. However, once they saw the tall, dark-haired male, they left immediately, knowing he preferred to smoke alone. It was something the teenage smokers learned when they tried to get the Uchiha to engage in conversation and all they received was a death glare.

He had been standing out here for most of his math class and decided not to return to it. What was the point of listening to a hypocrite who told his students that smoking kills when the man was a hardcore smoker himself? When the sound of the door opened near him, he did not bother to look, knowing that everyone would keep distance. Yet he sensed the presence of a school girl, who was extremely unsure of whether to approach him or not.

With a blushing face she spoke and maintained a distance, "Hatake-san wishes to see you in his office."

He did not answer nor move. The girl shifted uncomfortably before going back inside, her errand completed. The Uchiha debated how long Kakashi would wait until he sent another student or went in search of Sasuke himself. Sasuke was not in the mood to humor the silver-haired man, but it did not mean he was going to obey right this instant. So with that, he remained unmoving until his lungs devoured most of the lit cigarette's smoke.

Half an hour later, Kakashi tapped his fingers on the desk before him with slight impatience. Sasuke surely did not want to be followed around like a child and though he did try his patience, Kakashi understood this was a very common teenage phase. He had seen enough students in his office and he did what he could to set them back onto the righteous path. He did not expect them to be saints, Kakashi remembered when he himself was an adolescent, yet each generation surely had a new version of obstacles. And as for the Uchiha, Kakashi knew there was much more lurking underneath the stony exterior, especially since he—

The door opened without a single knock and in came the devil himself, bringing the scent of cigarettes with him. Kakashi's fingers stopped tapping and there was a moment of enmity in the man's dark eyes towards the younger male. That moment faded when Kakashi's eyes curled upward and spoke in a humorous—dry—manner, "Ah, nice of you to join me."

"Hn." Sasuke took the seat in front of Kakashi and became indolent, uninterested. It was not a new sight for the silver-haired. He could not count the times when he would find Sasuke in such a bored state as if life did not interest him at all.

"There is an issue concerning you," Kakashi began, though he stopped when he saw the way the Uchiha's hand turned into a fist. "It's about your grades." The fist loosened much to Kakashi's wonder. "You always had high grades in the past. In fact, you have been doing quite exceptionally, but now it seems that they have lowered considerably. Your professors have told me you haven't turned in much work for the past few weeks."

Sasuke did not even open his mouth as Kakashi expected so he continued, "You did receive an 'A' for a history exam a few days ago, yet that is not enough to keep your current average. There are too many homework assignments missing, including the fact that you're absent from most of your classes."

The Uchiha remained sitting without so much as an expression on his face. Silently, Kakashi was trying to figure out what could possibly be in that boy's head. Sure, he was difficult; he had been difficult since he was a child. Sasuke never showed any interest in hobbies or friends. The only thing Sasuke demonstrated the least bit concern in was his academics. Kakashi suspected that there was another reason, besides the fact the boy was a genius, that Sasuke cared about his education. His mother—a beautiful woman now buried six feet under—had been a teacher. And now, if maintaining his good marks was no longer Sasuke's priority, what had occurred to change that?

Kakashi sighed before speaking, "Is this some other…act of your rebellion?"

Sasuke's dark eyes averted towards the front and Kakashi met his stare full on without so much as cringing like other people could not help doing when facing the Uchiha. Kakashi tried to pick up a sign in the charcoal, something he could use to help the young man. Unfortunately the Uchiha was guarded. "If not, then I will have to assume that perhaps you simply lack motivation and proper guidance."

The Uchiha was not dense for he had understood immediately. So the old man wanted to assign him someone to "help" him complete his assignments, a tutor to be exact. It was ridiculous. Just what did the pervert imply? That he was stupid—at the thought of the term, he was reminded of what he said in Kurenai's class a few days ago pertaining to the pink-head. _A tutor…_

"Do what you want," he replied carelessly, a minute after.

Kakashi gave a nod. "But of course, you have to do your part Uchiha."

The young male remained silent, not much to Kakashi's surprise. "You are dismissed."

* * *

When lunch hour arrived, he was found sitting at a table with a vacant expression. Naruto was sitting across from the dark-haired male arguing with Kiba over who was the better class clown. Shino unfortunately was sitting between the two loudmouths. It did not seem the argument between the two idiots would end, that is until a lavender-haired girl approached their table quite timidly. Shino noticed the girl first, to which she smiled before darting her eyes on the Uchiha nervously having known of his reputation. The bickering ahead of her between the two loudmouths was what got her attention, who have yet to realize her presence.

"Hello K-Kiba-kun."

The timorous voice would usually escape Naruto's hearing, except that he had recognized it and instantly quieted down. Kiba had been laughing at Naruto's proclamation that he would win the title of class clown in their graduating class. It took Kiba several seconds to calm down and reply, "Whatever, Naruto. I guess we will make a bet and see for ourselves who's the—" Kiba stopped when he realized the blond seemed distracted and he turned to see the lavender-haired girl. "Hinata, I'll be with you in a minute after I convince this dumbass that I have a better sense of humor."

When Naruto was usually insulted, he would argue right back, and depending on the person, would start a physical fight. However, in the rare occasion he did not say anything in return and resorted in poking his lunch with his fork. Hinata's pale eyes stared at him in a worried manner, if it was not evident enough on her features.

Kiba suspiciously stared at his rival, who was acting as if though they were not arguing moments ago, and met Shino's shaded eyes, responding with a shrug. Hinata finally pulled her eyes from the strangely quiet Naruto, saw Kiba's curious gaze, making her remember her task, and her pearl eyes settled on the Uchiha.

"I, um, Uchiha-san," she said, which caused everyone, excluding said male in question, to look at her, "I-I was sent by Hatake-san to be…your tutor."

Naruto and Kiba gaped. Shino's eyebrow rose. Hinata looked uncomfortable.

"No way!" said Kiba and Naruto simply dumbfounded.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _Damn you Kakashi._

"You need a tutor? Even I'm not that stupid—"

Sasuke raised his arm and whacked him on the back of the head before getting up from the table. Naruto scowled, rubbed his head, and followed him. Naruto's cheeks were flushed from embarrassment, "Did you really have to do that in front of her? And why is she even your tutor? She's too cute to be around your selfish ass—"

The raven-haired male tuned the annoying blond out and walked a little faster to get away from Naruto's rambling. The timid, lavender-haired girl reminded him of another, not in appearance, but certainly in behavior. There were certain personality traits those two shared, for instance, their eyes gave too much what about they were thinking away, marking them as horrible liars for sure. Both were incredibly shy, very annoyingly so, and dressed in clothing that hid their bodies, out of insecurity he supposed. On the other hand, both were vastly different, starting with the fact that he had his own preferences, besides the girl was a Hyuuga.

"If you haven't noticed, she is already taken."

Naruto stopped his babbling, letting Sasuke's unexpected words sink into his brain, and when it clicked, he yelled out, "What?"

Obviously, Naruto had been too busy pretending to eat his food earlier to notice a certain comfortable vibe between the mutt and the girl. Sasuke replied with one word, not bothering to explain, "Inuzuka."

"That's not possible! Kiba is an ass who thinks he's funny! She can't like him! He sleeps with his dog for Kami's sake—Hell! He smells like a dog!"

The destination was soon approaching for Sasuke and left Naruto by himself. He had things to take care of, not giving a damn he would be marked absent in his history class.

* * *

Green eyes were watching the exchange between the girl she admired and the girl who never tire of embarrassing her both in public and private. The striking Ino had given a small wrapped box to Ami, which the purple-haired girl opened with exaggeration. Inside contained a silver bracelet, (Ami could not resist showing the gift off for all to see) to which Ami gave a huge—_**seems so notably fake**_—smile and hugged Ino. "Aw! This really means so much to our friendship!"

Ino replied after Ami released her, "Let's go shopping after school! I've been dying to get those new designer shoes!"

Ami had not looked her way once. It did not surprise her that much anymore. Everyone soon forgot about her once something of better interest came by. It was like she was only good for a five minute entertainment, although, the humiliation Ami bestowed on her still burned in her mind.

These school walls seemed to be the only witnesses to everything that occurred here, besides those students who preferred to keep silence than to notify any adults. Did she become that invisible that she was now part of those bare, old walls that no one took any notice of? It certainly seemed so judging from the fact that it was the sixth time someone had bumped into her desk and moved on like it was void of a person.

A second later, she felt another sneeze coming on and brought a tissue to her runny nose. As she sneezed and wiped her nostrils with the tissue, she thought about yesterday.

_The young Haruno was laying down in a fetal position with her head on her mother's lap. The older woman was sitting back on the comfy bed stroking her daughter's pink mane. "I've been gone only for a few days and you get sick. Not to mention…" _

_The skinny hand travelled from the pink hair onto the bandage the girl wore to caress it and the woman sighed, although it did not stop the soft smile from appearing. "What would you do without me?"_

_Sakura's eyes were brimming with tears, threatening to fall onto her mother's lap. And though, there were countless times Sakura would go to her mother in a crying state to be comforted, she would not cry in front of her mother today, especially after being told the reason why her mother's return was delayed. _

"_My little girl," the woman sighed again sensing the girl's distress, "Don't worry about me. Our income might lower a bit, but I'll do my best to meet our needs. You just focus on school. I won't let this affect your studies or your life. Do you understand me?"_

_When the girl remained silent, the woman's hand stopped stroking. "Is something wrong?"_

_Sakura waited for a moment as she debated whether to speak or not. She certainly did not want to add to her mother's troubles and what she had to tell her would create more problems than solve. Her mother would be horrified to learn of the events that happened ever since that particular person entered her life. She replied in a rasp, "No. Everything is fine."_

_Almost immediately, there was a pang in her chest. Sakura had never lied to her mother before and now…_

"_Go get a glass of water, sweetheart. Maybe you should eat some warm soup to make you feel better?" the woman suggested and was answered by Sakura's nod. "Good… I think we have enough money to get your glasses fixed."_

After that flashback, she adjusted her cracked frames. She was going to get them fixed after school. Her story about falling at school convinced her mother. Her sudden poor health only added on to how horrible she felt. The runny nose and fits of coughing were greatly a distraction because she did not want to interrupt others or the lesson. So it was a miracle she made it to her last class, which was chemistry.

Kurenai announced there would be a lab experiment so everyone had to grab goggles and protective gear. If anything, the students got more preoccupied with their own conversations when there were lab experiments. Kurenai was already prepared if someone mixed the wrong substances, and surprisingly, that did not occur. However, towards the end of the class, someone accidently knocked over some of the tubes, making a mess. Kurenai was extremely frustrated. "Does anyone care to maintain a clean classroom?"

No one was able to answer because the bell rang and the students rushed to leave as quickly as they could. It took Sakura a couple of minutes to wait until most of the bustling students left to be able to put her goggles and lab coat back. She wanted to go home as well to see if her mother was okay, but as she grabbed her backpack, she glanced at the slumping teacher. It was her humble nature that provoked her to approach the red-eyed woman and offer her help.

"Thank you Haruno. I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it to the faculty meeting. Just remember not to pour the rest of the chemical in the drain. Dispose of it properly in the marked containers."

"Of course, Kurenai-san."

Kurenai went to her desk and picked up some things before heading to her meeting, leaving Sakura to tend to the mess on the floor. The pieces of glass tried to trigger a certain memory, but she willed it away. She did, however, keep in mind to be cautious while picking up the glass and disposing of it properly. After she did that task, she headed over to the sink located in the back to get a moist towel.

"I see you have gotten used to being a little servant."

There was no point in being shocked. She knew that voice, and yet, her body still reacted with a flinch. When her body stilled, she sensed him approaching from behind, finding herself cornered again. _**Don't you dare give into the fear! Ignore him! **_It was difficult following her inner's demands. How was it possible for her to ignore someone who sought her out like this?

"Perhaps I can make good use of that."

She focused on the wet towel in her hand. Closing her eyelids, she took a deep, silent breath and her inner guided her next movements. Slowly, she faced him; although her eyes opened to see his chest rather than directly meet his face. Her legs walked without her official command, and time stood still as she made her way pass the male_—_her heart was pounding so fast, not sure what to expect, so she shut her eyelids tightly_—_and when she was sure she was no longer parallel to him, she regained some of the control over her body. The girl arrived to the spot where the mess was located without a single interference.

But was it only a false belief? Was she really kneeling on the floor untouched? As if testing it out, she continued to clean with shaky hands. _Why isn't he doing anything?_

In his thoughts, he watched her, quite amused. There was a new bandage on her hand. Personally, he thought she was exaggerating. Was she not familiar with pain? If not, he supposed he would have to get her accustomed in some unforgettable manner. He stayed rooted in the same spot, watching her until she stood up and headed for the sink.

_Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't touch me._

And when he did not, she could not help but to wonder why. Ever since they had crossed paths, there would be, in some form or another, physical contact. It was no secret he despised her and liked to show it in corporal conduct. That much she understood because she was still unclear if she wronged him in another way besides the incident that brought him into her life.

Even with his strange behavior, she was still on alert and quickly finished what was required of her. Once her backpack was in her hands, she nearly scurried out of the room like a mouse. He let her leave, without saying an extra word. It was not necessary. His intention had been to confuse her and he succeeded. If things kept turning out the way he wanted, this would be easy. Earlier, he had made it clear to Kakashi he did not agree with his choice of tutor.

"_I want a new tutor." _

_Kakashi knew something was up the moment he barged into the room. "I just assigned a tutor to you. How can there already be a problem, Uchiha?"_

"_She's too timid."_

"_Hyuuga Hinata is one of the highest—"_

"_I don't care."_

_Kakashi's jaw clenched a bit and it relaxed a second later. "Very well then, I'll see who else I can find."_

_Instead of going to his classroom, he went up to the rooftop, not in the mood to deal with Murahama's shitty excuse for a class._

He was out of cigarettes again, he noted as he stared down at the empty carton.

* * *

"I don't have other orders today so I can fix them right away," the man announced just before going to the back of the shop. Sakura nodded as she took off her purple-framed glasses and handed them over to the man. She waited patiently until he returned. "Miss, have you tried contact lenses before? They are more convenient for everyday use and less of a hassle unlike glasses. Would you be interested in that perhaps?"

_**Why not?**_ A voice from within asked her. _**Why don't you try it out? It's harmless. Besides what if your glasses break again? Where are you going to get the money to fix**_—

"No, thank you," she spoke, "How much is the cost?" When she handed the money over, a feeling of guilt swam over her conscience, since it was technically her fault that her mother had to pay for this damage. The feeling was just there, and though she did not crack them herself, this would not have happened if only she had the resolve to refuse to enter his house.

Before leaving the shop, she cast one look at what her inner very much wanted. _Even if I wanted to buy them, I don't have enough money._

When Sakura entered her small home, she slipped off her shoes and was surprised to find her mother in the kitchen, searching the cabinets. "Oh, there you are."

"Honey, I realized we don't have enough food. Can you buy the groceries for this week? I would go myself but I'm feeling a bit woozy. I'm making a list."

"I'll do it mother."

"Thank you dear." Sakura's mother took the money out of her purse. The pink-haired girl could not help but to notice that she was given a small amount of money. She wondered how she was going to buy all the items on the list with that amount. Staring at the list, she wondered if they really needed all of them. Most items on the list were ingredients to her favorite foods. Sakura guessed she could live without dango and umeboshi for this week.

Aisle after aisle, she searched for bargains, too focused on the prices.

* * *

Apparently what Kakashi had in mind were more rather timid and jumpy students, much to the Uchiha's annoyance. It had only been two days, and he had just made the last girl run away in a crying hysteria. The males were easier to get rid of for he only had to threaten with his mere, powerful presence and they scurried like rats. The previous females were not able to look at him without blushing and stuttering, providing the necessary evidence of their incompetence.

Hands in pockets, he walked across the school's courtyard, earning a few whispers here and there. Sasuke knew exactly what those conversations consisted of. People thought he needed a tutor because he was stupid. Of course, he did not give a shit about what people thought before, so why would he care now?

There was, however, his certain reputation to maintain. As long as everyone knew their place, and they did, it was not going to be a concern. Either way, the number of students interested in tutoring him grew with each talk of gossip. He had seen for himself the line of perfumed girls, full of makeup and dressed down in skimpy clothes, standing outside Hatake's office offering to tutor him with their "services."

The sudden interest in tutoring the Uchiha would certainly hurry Kakashi to look for more candidates, and when there were not any left, he would resort in trying out whoever he could find. However long that took, Sasuke was capable of dealing with the nuisances since this was for a greater purpose.

His thoughts focused on one girl in particular. It was obvious she was the type to be programmed by society and by their reactions towards her. It was an easy case to control…

He'll reprogram her exactly to how he wanted.

* * *

Sakura was entering the school building when she was notified that Hatake-san wished to speak with her. Curious, she wondered what it was about. She had not seen the man since the day she returned to school after that embarrassing incident when she was told her mother would be gone for a few days. Knocking softly on the door, she waited until she was told to come inside.

"You're still sick? I thought you were better." There was a bit of surprise in his tone as she observed the girl who had sneezed upon entering the room.

"Um." A light blush flushed her sick looking skin, as she covered her red nose with a tissue.

"I suggest you see a doctor, we wouldn't want you to miss out on school, do we?"

"No, Hatake-san."

"Do take a seat, Ms. Haruno. I would like to speak with you about a certain matter. I've been checking your file, and I must say, your grades are quite admirable. I would like to propose that you tutor a student, obviously, you will be given extra credits and paid for your time and effort."

At the mention of money, her countenance and ears literally perked up. Without even thinking twice, she nodded in agreement. Kakashi smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. He was not completely sure on how she would take what he had to say next.

"I need you to tutor Uchiha Sasuke."

There was no way he missed how her body froze upon finishing his statement. It was the reaction he was given by the other students he chose, yet he was able to convince them to at least try. Haruno, however, would be a little difficult to sway. "Haruno, it still remains confidential. If I had other choices…" he sighed before continuing, "…just know that if you are really uncomfortable with this—"

It came sneaking into her mind, the unpleasant incident she did not want to remember.

_He squeezed again, more brutally as he felt her carefully, as if determining something. His other hand dropped the glasses that made a small noise upon impact and brought it to her waist, "Your whimpering only amuses me more. Do you know that?"_

_His hand trailed up her flat stomach, heading towards her unprotected breasts, alarming her more than ever_—

"—Uchiha is not the type of person to follow rules, and he can be rather intimidating, but you're my last hope. If he gives you any trouble, any _trouble _at all," he emphasized, "Alert me as soon as possible and I'll do what I can. Are you still interested in taking this job?"

The room was eerily silent. She was still frozen in her position, with extreme incredulity on her features. _He…he wants me to tutor __**him**__? _Giving an unexpected sneeze, she snapped out of it, but before she could answer, the door opened without a single knock. Sakura was still processing what Hatake wanted from her to even notice who was behind. Kakashi opened his mouth to address the person, but was cut off when his phone rang. "Excuse me for a moment."

Kakashi lay back in his chair and began conversing. She was jerked from her thoughts when she removed the tissue from her nostrils and recognized the scent of peppermint. Her insides twisted. _Why is he everywhere I go?_ She was reassured by her inner. _**Don't act like you're alone with him. You have someone in the room too! And Hatake isn't just someone that will stand on the sidelines! **_She had been confident of that assertion but Kakashi rotated his chair to open a file cabinet behind him and began searching.

That peppermint scent grew stronger, causing her to be all too aware of the person behind her. Her frightened viridian focused on Hatake-san, wishing he would gyrate his chair and see for himself that she could not possibly be capable of tutoring that certain person.

"I wonder…what is your answer?"

The low voice reached her ears and she became more nervous than before. Framed eyes stared worryingly in Hatake's direction, not believing the dark-haired was willing to go this far with someone present.

"He's counting on you for this. Surely you don't want to disappoint him. What will he think of you?"

The Uchiha was keeping eyes both on her and Kakashi, talking only when Kakashi spoke through the phone, to avoid being heard. When Kakashi silenced to listen to the loud, muffled voice on the other line, Sasuke took that opportunity to focus on her body movements, taking note to how it tensed, indicating she was taking his words into mind.

"And if you don't accept, he'll wonder why."

The pink head began to bob sideways as if subconsciously looking for a way out. The girl's hands were restless as well as her feet. Onyx eyes watched her quite intently, ready to stop her if she foolishly did something to get Hatake's attention.

"He'll find out the truth about you…about what you caused…he'll find out about _everything._"

It seemed that was all he needed to do because her body slumped in defeat a few moments later once his words sank into her mind. He had her where he wanted and was not about to let go so easily. Sasuke backed off the fraction of a second when Kakashi hung up the phone and said cheerfully, "So Ms. Haruno, what is your decision?"

"Yes."

Truthfully, Sasuke was a bit surprised to hear the answer instantly. He had expected her to sit there like a confused mute before she quietly stuttered her reply. It seemed he was not the only one because Kakashi was perplexed as well. "Just to be clear, you have the right to decline."

She spoke quietly, "I know."

"Very well then, hopefully Uchiha will cooperate with you," his tone was still, but Sasuke understood the hidden meaning.

Now this did not surprise him. Kakashi knew about the smoking incident and that she had been the little snitch to come running to him. Sasuke was aware Kakashi had put her on the bottom of his list because of that reason. The Uchiha had a feeling Kakashi will stick his nose where it did not belong. It did not matter really, he thought, as they watched the girl nod robotically. He will not let Kakashi interfere in his plans whatsoever.

"Well I hope this works out, Uchiha."

"Hn."

The dark-haired, arrogant male exited first, the tiny girl was behind him. They could feel Kakashi's gaze at their backs, giving the girl relief and the other, complete acrimony.

_Oh it will._

"Something up?" asked Naruto at lunch.

The sight of Sasuke just sitting there, not that it was unusual, but he was in his "thinking" pose as Naruto dubbed it. "Sasuke?"

"What?"

"Is something—"

"Mind your own business," replied Sasuke offhandedly, his sight on something else.

She was sitting with the rejects again. Observing from her awkward posture, he could tell those nerds were not her usual friends, in fact, he had a suspicion she did not even have a single one. The girl wandered and fled through the halls alone as she tried to get to her classes…he had found her alone on the rooftop that day. His fingers that were laced before him hide his smirk. She really was making everything so unbelievably easy for him.

Usually, he liked a challenge but she was not giving him one. Nonetheless, she was a fascinating little _thing_. Her face was something no one would look at, the severity of her pimples was sickening to those with baby smooth skin, and not even the color of her hair would be considered erotic. Everyone believed the nerd dyed her hair; however, he knew that was not the case as he recalled the fruity smell.

Other than being so simple, she was nothing short but a freak of nature. Yet, there was something about her—his mind tried to search for the answer—that got a rise out of him. The sight of her gave him a sense of dominance, along with the thrill of the chase, like a hungry coyote preying upon a small rabbit.

It clicked. The answer was her helplessness. The way her limbs thrashed around like a wounded animal trying to survive pathetically, squealing in fear and pain, incapable of voicing out a cry for help. He has never seen anything like it…

Dark thoughts began gathering in his mind as an idea formed. His smirk did not falter when she got up from the outcast table and walked until she was out of the cafeteria. It was very tempting to follow and cause her to panic for amusement, but he would wait until it was time to execute his plan.

Shino and Naruto had been watching him for a small duration before turning to each other in disbelief, before attempting to catch a glimpse at whatever caught Sasuke's attention.

They saw nothing remotely interesting.

* * *

His tutor?

The idea of it brought so many nerve-racking and weary feelings from within her. She swore to herself that she would never go back to his house. What did she just get herself into? There was no way she was going to go through all of what had happened in that house again. And who is to say something like that or worse could happen this time?

Deep inside, she knew things would take a drastic turn if she was forced to spend more time with the dark-haired male. But she had accepted Hatake-san's request. _**You were pressured into it. Still, you were fully capable of refusing. **_Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat. _I would have been able to say no, if only he weren't in the room. He doesn't like it…when I disobey. _

Her inner did not reply and Sakura did not want her to go just yet. It was times like this that she depended on her inner to find the necessary comfort she needed in difficult situations such as this one. It was when she remembered one growing fact as she was left alone in her thoughts. There was the issue of money nagging her conscious.

Her mother was late on paying the bills. Sakura had discovered the open bills in her mother's drawer and they were weeks behind in payments. Sakura was only seventeen, but many of her peers had jobs at local stores or such. Maybe she should get a job. Who would hire her? Perhaps in an office as a simple aide who ran errands? She would have to investigate, but for now, she had accepted Kakashi's offer. That would have to do for the time being.

Sakura tried to focus on the lesson. It was about something she already knew, although it was not wise to look uninterested because Murahama-san was not in a happy mood today.

A few rows back, a certain dark-haired male was scheming out the idea he had from earlier. It would not take much to bring the hideous animal back into its cage, and this secretly pleased him. What he had in mind would bring out a different reaction from the pink head. She was becoming too predictable, _so boring…_

…He was certain that he would find several ways to rip her apart and watch her scream.

* * *

Once she had reached home, she rushed to check on her mother. The older woman was napping peacefully, so Sakura quietly entered the room to pick up the empty tray of food to take it downstairs. After washing the dishes and eating a banana, she went into her room to do her homework. The only time she took a break was to prepare some dinner for her mother and herself. She always showered before going to bed, finding it utterly relaxing to end her day.

Surprisingly, sleep came quickly this night.

_Upon feeling the circles his fingers made, her body listened to the request as his hand reached under the layers of clothes. Cold fingers produced goose bumps on her skin, emphasizing on the demand. Before she knew it, her sweater had been pushed upward and the cold air tickled her bare back. Accompanying the presence of air, his hands trailed over the skin the air had touched. _

_Upward, downward, upward…_

…_in loops, circles…_

_The movement was so slow, numbing her to sleep. Her eyelids fell, but her hands elevated, brushing against one of his hands. He retreated a bit to allow her listening fingers to find the tiny clasp and work to unfasten it._

_When the strap loosened, her arms went back to the sides of her body, becoming unmoving once more. There was a low chuckle of satisfaction above her sluggish form and she could only stay still, allowing him to execute his wishes._

_And he did…exactly what he pleased…_

As she lay sleeping, a shudder shook her entire body.


	9. Chapter 8: Twisted Games  Part 1

_Predator and Prey_

**Twisted Games**

Part One

* * *

—

—

_I'll push you to the edge..._

—

—

Sakura swallowed to lessen the shaky intakes of air, but it was difficult enough with the presence of nerves, making her body restless and her mind run with a million thoughts. The nervous feeling mimicked the way she felt when she had to stand in front of a class and present a project or assignment. Even with the presence of other group members standing by her side, people who most likely had ignored her existence or made her do all the work, she was still petrified in having to speak in front of other students. They would simply stare in curiosity or disbelief. And most often, they would also giggle and comment at her nerdish appearance.

It was a phobia of hers that had developed years ago.

That was what she felt as she waited on the school's rooftop. She felt intense nerves that made her feel sick, including the fact that she had not set foot here since that _incident. _She simply did not know what to expect from the dark-haired student and knowing him by now, meeting at the rooftop, out of all places, was not a good idea at all. It made her extremely uneasy to think that another embarrassing and frightening occurrence was well on its way the more she waited here. Still, her subconscious reminded her of what the consequences were if she disobeyed and that added onto the nerves.

It was not the sound of the door opening or the approaching snakelike footfalls, but a growing presence that prickled her skin, alerting her to turn around. As suspected, it was him walking ever so effortlessly and unperturbed, as if he were simply meeting a friend for lunch. Her eyebrows creased in confusion, yet her legs took root of the ground, not only preparing her to expect the unexpected, but to keep herself from losing balance.

Why was he acting this way? After what had happened…?

That notion disappeared when his aura darkened and the memorable smirk came out of hiding. Truth be told, she was not surprised when he demonstrated this revelation, but did tense when he stopped nearby. He stood still as ebony eyes landed on her twitchy body, which evidently showed her discomfort in the situation of being stared at.

Deciding to play with her a bit, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a carton along with a match in order to get her attention. After striking the match and lighting his cigarette, he flicked the burnt match, sending it in her direction. She flinched, and although her body recoiled, she remained in the same spot. It was only when he blew out the cloud of smoke that she awkwardly stepped back with a lowered head.

_It's still fresh in her mind…_He thought as he began to observe the ugly girl. Judging from the occurrence at his house, there was certainly more to the pink-head than meets the eye. He supposed it was natural considering she was just another nerd in this school that tended to hide from the rest and never showed her true colors. And when no one bothered to scratch away the ugly façade in order to find out what was really lurking inside, she stayed as the unknown, typical nerd.

Another puff of smoke went up in the air. "I suppose you are ready."

In response, she barely nodded with a vacillating look behind those purple frames. He smirked since he knew she could not help but to think about the rooftop incident. He noticed how her arms were folded at her chest, acting like a protective barrier. Quite candidly, if that was on her mind, it disappointed him. Surely had she learned that he did not like to repeat things? It absolutely bored him. But now, he had new things in mind, and was ready to execute them on the pathetic weakling.

In a way, she was right to be so concerned at this moment. It was almost a pity that she was not fully aware of his plans…at least, not yet.

"Hn, be here tomorrow at lunch."

He walked away; a cloud of smoke occupied his vacant spot, leaving her confused. Even after he disappeared completely through the door, she stayed where she was. She was led to believe the first day of his tutoring would start today, and here of all places, but he leaves…?

_**It's not like you actually wanted to tutor him, do you?**_

_Of course not! It's just that he…he…__**surprises you?**_

Surprises were always unexpected, regardless of whether it was good or not since that was the whole point. Although when it concerned him, it was equivalent to a catastrophe.

* * *

Concerned, pale viridian eyes that controlled the lightly faded pink eyebrows into creasing looked at the girl sitting limply on the couch. It was the third time she caught her daughter snap out of her thoughts, rub her forehead tiredly, and attempt to read the history book in her hands. The woman that stopped knitting wondered what was going through Sakura's mind and hoped the recent troubles were not affecting her daughter so greatly.

Initially, she had second thoughts about telling her daughter about the sudden financial problems and the troubles at work. However, she had based her decision on the fact that she never kept anything a secret from her daughter. After all, it was only the two of them in this small house in such a changing and enormous world. The bond of a mother and daughter should be strong and unbreakable or else they would have nothing else to fall back on.

Yet if only her daughter were not so fragile to everything that happened around her, perhaps this ever present feeling of concern would lessen. Sometimes she blamed herself for placing her daughter under such an overprotective wing, but Sakura was her only child…her only baby.

With that, the woman assured herself before calling out to the young girl. "Sakura, dear?"

The schoolgirl blinked and turned her head towards her mother, "Yes, mommy?"

_Sakura had always been attached to me_, the woman thought upon examining her daughter, _from the moment she was born. She would not leave my side like she was attached to my leg._ "Is everything all right at school? How are your classes?"

Sakura swallowed as she attempted to lift her lips into a smile. "My…classes are fine."

"That's good…" there was a small silence before the older woman spoke, "Something is on your mind, dear. Do you want to talk about it?"

She watched her daughter shift in her seat uncomfortably before adjusting the heavy textbook in her lap. "Hatake-san, the school's counselor…" she began.

Her mother nodded her head remembering the kind man she had spoken to before. "Did you thank him for everything, honey?"

Sakura nodded, "I did. Well, he had asked…asked me to tutor a…student."

"Is that what is troubling you, dear? You know very well that you can bring a friend over to the house. I always encouraged you to do so," replied the woman with a sad smile since Sakura never did bring a friend home to play with.

Sakura looked away and whispered, "It's a boy."

"Oh! That what's making you so shy?" asked her mother. When Sakura didn't answer, she continued teasingly, "Well, does this mean he's cute?"

Sakura could not help but to stutter her reply, "I-I don't…um…h-he…"

Her mother's laughter saved her from the uncomfortable moment. "I'm just joking with you, Sakura. Don't think about it too much when he comes over. After all, he's a just a boy who needs to be tutored."

When Sakura was left alone on the couch, really wanting to say that she had no interest in letting him come inside her home, but failed, she thought about what her mother had said. Yes, he was just some boy among the hundreds of other boys at school, except this one made her want to break into a million different pieces.

* * *

"The concepts of math are not that difficult," said Asuma desperately as he passed out the disappointing exams back to the students. Zaku was one of several who scoffed at Asuma's statement while others laughed at each other's failing grades.

Asuma's face was grave as he returned each test to its proper owner. By far, these results were the most unsatisfactory since the start of the school year. That fact made him wish he could smoke a cigarette right now because of the endless hours he spent explaining it to his students with no avail, but he would have to wait until the break between classes, which at this point seemed to be an eternity. Before he could question himself on why he chose teaching as a profession, he recognized a familiar smell.

It was the smell he was used to since he was a teenager and the same smell that often made him sleep on the couch due to the complaints of his disapproving, pregnant wife who complained it was unhealthy for the baby. Quickly, he tracked down where that certain smell was coming from and looked at the silent dark-haired student with a raised eyebrow.

When onyx noticed the knowing look Asuma gave, hostility began to grow in those depths; however, it stopped when Asuma's hand extended out, "Good job, Uchiha."

Zaku heard the compliment and leaned a bit to look at the Uchiha's exam resting on the desk. Disbelief came to his eyes and he voiced out, "Why the fuck do you need a tutor?"

Many heads turned in their direction while the Uchiha ignored him. Almost immediately there was a buzz about him and his "need" for tutoring, most of the conversation was about how Uchiha Sasuke was too perfect to need a tutor, followed by girls swooning when they looked at him.

This did not stop Zaku from talking, "You're an Uchiha and a fucking genius." When Sasuke still did not turn to acknowledge him, Zaku leaned even forward to ask, "Are you fucked up on drugs? If that's the case, do you have some on you now?" Zaku smirked. "How much for—"

"That's enough!" ordered Asuma. When class resumed, Asuma observed the unfazed Uchiha and made a mental note to speak to Kakashi.

* * *

The silver-haired man's lips had touched the rim of the Styrofoam cup, but he was unable to drink the much desired caffeine when Asuma briskly entered the room. Kakashi lowered his mug, took one look at the clock, and addressed Asuma, "You know that I'm strongly against it, but shouldn't you be out smoking a cigarette at this time?"

"And judging by the coffee, you just came in your office. Not only that, but it's almost lunch hour. Didn't my father say not to be late again or you'll be dismissed from this school?" retorted Asuma with a raised eyebrow.

"Nonsense. These kids are great suppliers of headaches and stress so I just needed something to ease the tension a bit. Surely your father would understand since he's the principal with the immense task of overlooking all the students' futures. And even yourself know what stress can do to a person," smiled Kakashi as he took a sip of the fresh brewed coffee.

"Yeah, I sure do," said Asuma as he took a seat, "Sometimes I question if these kids have a future or not."

Kakashi glanced at the tired stricken Asuma sitting in front of him. "Are you here for some guidance? Perhaps you also lost your way in this complicated life while trying to help these dependent students receive a better education?"

"Your humor is priceless," replied Asuma sarcastically, "No. I'm here for something else."

"Oh?"

Asuma was not the type to stall about important matters, especially when the minutes were ticking by and he really needed that smoke. "It's about the Uchiha. I heard a student ask him if he was on drugs, and then ask to buy some from him."

Kakashi took another sip of coffee before answering curtly, "He's not on drugs."

"Are you certain Kakashi? I smelled cigarettes on him."

"The cigarettes are a different matter that I'm currently talking about with him, other than that, I'm quite sure."

Asuma took Kakashi's word for it because of the fact that he certainly knew the Uchiha better than anyone, although he scratched at his beard in thought. "Why is there a need for a tutor then? He did very well on his math exam and had a better score than all of my classes combined."

"Did he really?" asked Kakashi casually before continuing, "I've noticed throughout the years that he does excellently in his studies as it is expected from him. But there are periods of time when he would lose interest for whatever reason."

"Drugs do that to you," Asuma joked lightly.

"It happens to nearly every student. Sometimes with pressure from parents or other students, even with things like raging hormones, they simply lose interest. Now if it was drug use, although it's a low possibility I must say, his interest would return and he would do significantly well in a short amount of time," said Kakashi as he set down his cup.

"And you have proof of this?"

Kakashi's head cocked sideways, "I am the school counselor after all. I do my job. I check in with students, make sure they are on the right track. But…let's just say that there are a few things that would bring an Uchiha prodigy down."

"You're praising him too much, Kakashi, it's making me sick. I hope you also give my nephew special treatment when he enters high school in a few years."

Kakashi simply gave a halfway shrug. "I don't give special treatment to students. Special treatment would be letting them borrow my favorite book collection." That earned a wince from Asuma. "Don't give me that look. It's what you deserve from interrupting me from my daily coffee and Icha."

Puzzled, Asuma asked, "How is it you haven't been caught with that in a school full of horny teenagers yet?"

"Years of practice."

Asuma sighed and shook his head at the silver-haired man. "We went off subject. You still haven't explained the need for a tutor."

Kakashi's gaze landed on the student file opened beside his arm. "This is his last year before applying to universities. He can't afford to screw up."

* * *

"…_be here tomorrow at lunch."_

The girl known for being a nerd walked up the steps to the roof of the school. She carried a few textbooks in her arms that were not able to fit inside her school bag. There was the fact that he did not give her much instruction other than to meet him here at this particular time. So she was left to decide whether she should bring all the materials necessary or just a few. Aware that they shared the same classes, albeit at different times, it made it easier to determine which books to bring. Also in her possession was a bag of sliced apples to munch on. Her stomach would not be able to handle much solid food because if she did, it was possible she might puke in his presence and she was not going to provoke another embarrassment or an angry Uchiha.

They were going to spend a lot of time together and alone…she just wished their meeting destination could have been at the library or someplace with people around. Then again, she did not want anyone to see them together or else they would know that she has been assigned to be his tutor. Although Sakura preferred to be in her own world, away from the other students, she was still aware of what happened around her. She knew many girls would not be happy to know she was the tutor of Uchiha Sasuke.

Gently closing the metal door, she walked to the side of it in order to set the books down. Walking up three flights of stairs had been tiresome so she rubbed her shoulder where the strap of her bag dug into her shoulder due to the heavy weight. As she massaged, she could not help but to remember another hand that previously had applied pressure to tense muscles. With that thought, her hand automatically dropped from massaging her shoulder, and shook that memory away. Her stomach was still threatening to cough up some vomit despite the fact that it was empty. Sakura had skipped breakfast that morning and it was not a good idea to do so.

Opening her bag, she fished out the sliced apples and took a bite, hoping it would calm her tornado like stomach. The sweet taste of the apple swished around her mouth before it was swallowed and sent to her unsettled stomach. A small piece of the apple's skin got stuck in her lower teeth under her braces so she tried forcing it out with her tongue before she used a finger. When her tongue proved unsuccessful, she lifted her hand to do so, but at that moment, the door behind her opened.

Apple and everything else forgotten, she tensed when the door shut. Lowering her head, she turned to confirm of the unknown person's identity from her peripheral vision.

The surprise was not that it was him, rather, that he had arrived empty handed. She supposed he did not care about his studies enough and that was why he was here. Emerald eyes behind lens dashed to the object dangling from his mouth, although, this time it was not lit. Sasuke only gave her one look before giving his attention to all the books she brought with her. Interestedly, he wondered what she had in mind in terms of his supposed tutoring, more so in how she would go about it.

She could not find herself to speak, now that he was here. She had gone through various scenarios of how she would communicate with him, and now she could not think of a single one of how to start. Instead she began by kneeling on the hard ground a few feet from the wall, set the bag of apples to the side, picked a random textbook, which turned out to be history, and opened it to the assigned reading. Almost immediately, she knew it was going to be a hassle sitting on the roof because of the wind that picked up, blowing the pages. Not to mention the everyday sounds of birds above and students outside.

At least it was not dead silence because he would be able to hear her upset stomach and shaky breaths.

When he did not make any gesture to move down where she was, she stayed inert while staring at the open textbook. The wind kept blowing the pages so she focused on keeping the pages still. His stare directed at her before he moved from where he was standing. He decided to sit across from her with his back against the wall near the door.

Sakura swallowed and her hand pushed up her frames awkwardly before adjusting the pages again. Murahama-san told them to read the whole section about Japan's feudal era and to answer the questions she provided them. Remembering that fact, she pulled out a red folder from her bag in order to get the paper where the questions were listed. Without giving him a glance, she placed the paper on the ground near his reach, and focused on the textbook in front of her. She highly doubted he began reading the long chapter, since she did not get far into the reading herself, so she thought it would be best to start at the beginning.

It was easier said than done.

He definitely looked uninterested when the first words of the sentence came messily from her mouth. Her eyes had quickly darted to him as if he was the teacher who would reprimand her on the errors she made. Soon enough, it was very clear that he did not even bother to care when his hand removed the cigarette from his mouth, in order for his fingers to play with it in a boring manner. His thumb would occasionally flick the end as if it were lit due mostly to the habit he developed. Once she made it clear in her mind that he did not care, she continued on, pretending that she was alone.

When he was sure she was too focused on reading the content of the book aloud, which was more mumbles out of anything, he put his gaze on her. He noticed she had gotten sick. From time to time, she would wipe her nose with a tissue she kept in her pocket. She used the hand that had the bandage wrapping. The cut was not that deep so he did not see why she would still have it on.

The girl must have sensed his attention on her because it produced more stuttering as she read. At last, he decided to play with her a bit by commenting, "I can't hear you."

Her voice faltered before it got louder, though it increased her nervousness, it did not stop the stuttering whatsoever. He sighed, "I still can't hear you. Move over here."

There was a noise made, unable to properly leave her mouth as she secretly wanted to express protest. Quietly, she rose to her feet with the book in her hands, and positioned herself against the wall. Even though she placed distance between them, it did not prohibit the profoundness of his recognizable scent from entering through her nostrils as if it were smoke. It seeped into her mouth when her jaw lowered to begin reading, alerting her senses to never forget this particular scent for it was vital to her survival.

_**One of the key things is to know your hunter's scent, how else would you escape when you don't know he's coming?**_

That strategy became her focus, allowing the peppermint and cigarette to embed in her system for future use, and she realized no one else she knew carried the same scent, at least not in this manner. When he flicked the unlit cigarette away, making her glad that she did not have to breathe in the foul stench, it was her cue to proceed with the assignment and stop thinking about trivial things. Awkwardly, she reached for the questionnaire and handed it to him without so much looking in his direction. Of course, she had to move closer to him so that he actually took it in his hand and not ignore the piece of paper.

Sakura cleared her throat. "…During the K-Kamakura period, which took place between the years 1185 to 1333, Zen Buddhism was introduced from China and it—"

In midst of the reading, something was becoming a hassle inside her sweater; usually she wore layers so perhaps another tank top was riding up when she had moved from her spot. Her hand automatically tried to smooth it out while she focused on the words so she would not stutter. "—um, it became popular among the emerging ruling class of samurai."

However, she felt the same movement again, and this time it was higher inside her sweater. Confused, she stopped reading and stared down. When she realized there was actually something moving inside her sweater, panic began to alert her heart, increasing its beats.

_What is going on?_

Terrified and puzzled, her instincts were telling her to stand up and shake off the foreign movement from inside her clothes. Then automatically, her head jerked in his direction, looking for some kind of assurance that she was not suddenly imaging things. He did not glance back because his eyes were on the piece of paper he received from her, only his dark eyes were not moving, unbeknownst to her. In his peripheral vision, he observed the unfolding scene, interested in how she reacted, which at this point was nothing different from what someone would usually react to something unknown moving under their clothing.

Sasuke waited for the discovery she was about to make and it came quickly in the form of an outcry minimized from a scream into a frightened whimper. He had implanted a small snake when she was not aware of her surroundings by nearing his hand towards the back of her sweater. From there, the snake sought out body heat, and slithered inside. Her inability to detect the slightest movement was a flaw that certainly will bring her early demise if she did not learn the basics of protecting herself.

The terrified expression on her face did not move him in the least as he looked at her impassively, even when he voiced, "Do you want me to help you?"

She faced him with coruscating eyes, which if not for the fear expressed in them or the thick lens that was a nuisance, would be considered ethereally beautiful as emerald rippled with tears threatened to trickle down her face. Sending a silent plead to his ink like orbs, it was received without any rush to help her in the slightest bit, even though he understood perfectly. "I seem to remember that my touch _bothers_ you."

By this instant, she felt like squirming when its tail brushed against the unprotected skin near her hip area. The snake's skin was cold. She did not want to touch it, in fear that it would lunge at her or bite, especially when hissing emerged. Instead, she tried to get up, but all she could manage was to drag her body to the side as she supported her upper body with her arms. Sakura could not breathe or think. The only worry running through her mind was the likely chance that it would bite her. Never in her life has she been this close to a snake before so she did not know what to expect, only knowing that they were infamous for poisonous bites that killed people if not treated immediately.

With the strong intakes of breath, she could feel a panic attack on its way. Her nose was running, the slimy mucus starting to drip onto her lips, even though she did not feel it.

"Please," she whispered as she felt the snake across her stomach.

He simply smirked while more hissing sounded to their ears. The snake was now traveling up her body and she was faintly aware of his closeness as he, with one move, leaned over her shaking form. The glasses protected eyes darted in all directions, purposely shirking the movement inside her sweater and his amused onyx when his own hand snaked underneath her sweater as well.

Sakura held her breath, not sure which one was colder to the touch or more dangerous. With an immense urge to flee, she tolerated the feel of his hand, probing her body in his search for the small snake. When she felt his hand slowly pull the snake away, he stopped, leading her to focus on the almost impenetrable color of night in his eyes. It was as if he did that so she would ask herself whether she actually trusted him or not.

It was redundant in the way that he was the only one here with her, so trust was absent considering the fact that she could not even trust herself to get rid of the reptile. Plodding seconds and hurried breaths later, both the snake and his hand slid out from her sweater after he stared at the face with scattered pimples long enough. Her eyes locked onto the small snake that constricted around his hand before poking his head between his fingers and letting his tongue slither in her direction.

"It's not poisonous," he stated as he sat back, rubbing its small head with his thumb.

_Your touch is._

She realized he had done it deliberately when he did not show the least bit of concern holding the snake. At that point, it clicked that it was just another excuse to invade her personal space and have enjoyment by scaring her. In his gaze, he knew that she was thinking the same thing he was. Although it already had been established between the two, he will be the one to have control in any future situation that should arise.

* * *

She had sat frozen, tutoring forgotten, watching him and the snake for the rest of lunch hour without another word spoken. Occasionally, the snake would coil itself around his arm back to his hand, generally staying in his grasp in a tranquil mode. When the first bell rang, it jolted her from the stupor of watching him with the snake. She had about five minutes to get to her locker and deposit the textbooks she would not need in her next two classes. Closing the history book, she slowed in her movements. The next feeling she felt was like a child needing permission from an adult to leave the table at dinner. Did she need his permission to leave?

_**Of course you don't! **_

_But he has a snake in his grasp._

_**He clearly said it wasn't poisonous. Don't you see all he wanted was to spook you?**_

With her inner's statement, she moved back to where her things were, and packed up before heading for the exit silently. Half expecting him to stop her, she opened the metal door with some difficulty since she carried a heavy bag and books. Sakura attempted to keep the door from slamming shut with one arm, but it started to retaliate, causing the books in her arms to slip. Instead of the door pushing her away, it was stopped in its tracks. She looked behind her to find him holding the door open.

Astonished at what this looked like, there was the unstoppable thought when she wondered if he was helping her out with the door, except it ended quickly when he moved forward to leave, pushing her away and dropping some books in the process. As the door shut, there was a feeling of disappointment and stupidity mixed in one for allowing herself to even think that he would ever do something nice for a change when he just pulled a nasty prank minutes before.

* * *

"We will be starting a new project today," announced Murahama-san while she stressed out the following words, "_I_ will assign partners at _random_. _Complain_ and you'll _surely_ get _detention_."

The class that was bored a minute ago suddenly jerked alive and looked at their teacher attentively as she pulled out a list. No one liked the projects Murahama-san assigned because they required pages and pages of research in order to write complex papers that many students could not possibly complete on time, especially if they had procrastinated during the several weeks. However, she had always given them the option of choosing their own partners or groups unlike today.

Murahama-san took the red pen that was resting on her ear and marked something on her list before declaring, "Yamanaka, Akimichi."

She continued to read on as students resisted the urge to groan as each pair was called. When she announced, "Uchiha..." several girls and a few males who were not paired yet looked hopeful as they sneaked looks at the Uchiha himself, but were immediately crushed when the next word accompanied the first name, "Haruno."

A pink-head snapped up in bewilderment while others looked around in confusion. Once they saw Murahama-san give a look at the girl in the first row did they then realize who was chosen. Many started to open their mouths but they remembered the punishment, so they gawked in silence…that is until one could not hold in her protest and interrupted the teacher, "Wait, but it's a crime to have someone so fucking ugly like her to be in the presence of Sasuke-kun."

Almost immediately, a domino effect occurred because those who opposed the assigned pair ignored the warning and agreed with the declaration. When everyone focused on Sakura, she felt uncomfortable and wished the ground could eat her whole. How was it that she was the center of attention in a single instant?

"What did I say about complaining?!" Murahama-san averted her glare from the students staring at the back of Haruno's head onto the Uchiha who was expressionless. Murahama-san did not even wait for the continuing small protests to stop as she continued reading the last of the assigned pairs. She would know who to punish when students came to ask her again who they were paired up with for not listening.

Silence took over the room quickly when it was clear that Murahama-san was not going to change the pairing. The details of the project went over Sakura's head unlike the menacing stares from the other students. It was impossible to concentrate with such a hostile aura. Sakura was sure that they would have been glaring at anyone who was chosen to be partnered with the Uchiha anyway, so she tried to not take it so personally when everyone had their attention on her. This allowed her to think over the possibilities of being picked to be with him. There were close to forty people in this class…why him? Was it not enough she had to see him because of the tutoring?

At the end of class, she feared she would not be able to leave the classroom without someone having to say something nasty in her presence. Usually, all she had to do was look at the teacher's face and they would understand that she needed a bit of protection. However, Murahama-san was not one of those teachers that would back up a student, much less someone like herself.

Sakura was left to fend for herself when these students finally remembered her after they stomached the requirements of this project and began to complain that they did not like their choice of partner. Passing by where she was sitting, a couple of them rolled their eyes and made some snide remarks. Not all did so as she expected. While there were students that always held a grudge, there were others who were the type to blow off class material the moment they stepped out of the classroom and into the hallways where their friends were waiting with the current juicy gossip. It seemed Ami was one of those students as she left with her posse.

It was not the case for a particular tall and peppermint scented student who walked by her desk. Without looking down, he commented amusingly, "It's such an unusual coincidence. It seems that you can't be free of me."

She does not say a word, hoping that he would move long without anyone seeing him speak to her. Getting the subtle hint, he complied with her wishes, just this once, and headed out with a small smirk on his countenance.

* * *

After school, she walked with a clouded mind, battling her desire to ask Murahama-san to reconsider her choice. That was the thing though; they were picked randomly, so surely Murahama-san was not going to agree after saying it herself, and especially when many students were not happy with their new partners. What kind of excuse could she come up with to convince her anyway? At times, Sakura could not help but to want to avoid any sort of problems. It was not in her nature to confront or find a solution to the issue because she did not trust in herself to do the right thing.

The last time she thought she did the right thing by speaking to an authority, all she received in return was the unwanted attention from someone she never thought would bother looking at her twice. Wait, what if Hatake-san had spoken with Murahama-san about the tutoring? Maybe he requested that they be in a project together because of that reason? It was a logical explanation. She just wished Hatake-san would have asked her about this first.

It was certain then, there was no way she could avoid this. She supposed her "partner" wanted her to do all the work. The project was not due for months, but it involved extended research as in any of Murahama's projects—

"Well, look who it is. It's a bitch."

Another girl spoke after scoffing. "I see nothing but a cockroach."

The unexpected voices pulled her from her thoughts as Sakura was suddenly surrounded by a group of girls. In a brief moment, Sakura knew what they wanted and what was going to happen. Her only form of defense was to drop the books and raise her arms to protect her head when two girls beat her to it. They took off her backpack before taking her arms and held her back while one pulled her pink braids. Since her hair was being pulled back, she was not able to move her face away when Ami neared with her hands on her hips.

"I thought you learned your lesson, but it seems you're more stupid than I thought. Don't you know that those who get in my way…have to pay a price?" When Ami stated that, the group of girls agreed in chorus. "You have no idea how pissed off I am that you are partnered with Sasuke-kun. You have no right to even breathe the same air as him. I mean, it is the rule of popularity after all when it comes to nobodies like you. You're even lucky that I'm talking to you right now."

It was then when Sakura noticed that Ino was not in sight. It brought relief because not only did she not want to be seen in this situation, but since Ino was not among them, it meant she was not like the mean girls currently yelling obscenities at her. Sakura was forced to look at Ami's face that had hatred engraved in every squint of her eyes to the firm line of her lips. Sakura knew that there was no use in pointing out that the partners had been chosen in random. If it was up to her, she would have never agreed to have the Uchiha as a partner.

"You must be really pleased, aren't you?" hissed Ami suddenly. "Come on, admit it. You're just bursting with such joy. Well, let me tell you something. Sasuke-kun likes beautiful girls, what man doesn't? You, if you haven't looked in a mirror lately, are the ugliest fucking thing I've ever seen."

A couple of girls laughed and leered at the pink head. "So don't even think for a second that this is your chance to even flirt with him. Trust me, I know with just looking at you, he'll want to throw up his breakfast." Ami then looked at her friends, "Not that Sasuke would actually throw up since he's so perfect of course."

"Yes, he's so perfect!"

"He's such a sexy badass!"

"And those abs—"

Ami's head jerk towards that comment. "What did you say?"

The girl gave a confused look. "His abs…are amazing?" That caused Ami to walk up to the girl like a raging bull, and demanded to know, "Are you telling me that you've seen Sasuke-kun's abs?"

As Ami began her short interrogation, Sakura prayed that they would lose interest and let her go like they usually did. If Ami was not even nice to her own friends, it only meant worse for Sakura. There was a few seconds of silence, which meant that Ami won that argument. The win provided fuel to the purple-haired girl and she turned to the captive girl with a greedy smile. "So, admit it. You are pleased with yourself."

_Pleased with what…?_

_**She's talking about being partnered with the Uchiha. What else is on this girl's mind besides money, sex, and 'her' Sasuke-kun?**_

An urge of submission became powerful other than the comfortable need to stay silent. Watanabe Ami, like a certain someone, did not like being unanswered; therefore, Sakura succumbed as she said lowly, but honestly, "No…I'm not."

Ami had a look of disbelief on her face as well as the other girls. Her eyebrows furrowed before she placed a hand on her hip and scoffed. "Don't you try to lie to me! Stupid Pinky bitch!"

There were many factors that played into what motivated Ami to act the way she did, the most focal one being that she simply hated this ugly nerd, the hatred growing when the pink head had the audacity to deny that she was pleased having Uchiha Sasuke as a partner, and so she neared with a slap to Sakura's face.

Ami's posse started cheering once the blow connected to the nerd's face. To Sakura, there was shock written on her face, and that lessened the feel of the next blow to her stomach, this time a closed fist inflicted the damage.

"Back off," Ami ordered to the girls holding Sakura.

The first thing that crossed Sakura's mind was to pull away from the girls holding her and flee as fast as she could. Her viridian orbs behind her thick glasses, which surprisingly did not fall off, took note that most of these girls were wearing high heels. And to her knowledge, these same girls always had some sort of excuses in P.E. classes so they did not have to run on the track.

_**You know that you can outrun them. All you have to do is find a way to get free to do so.**_

Perhaps Sakura had a readable face or Ami foresaw Sakura's possible actions because Ami lunged again with her body. This time, unable to keep her footing because of Ami's weight, Sakura fell onto the ground, especially when the girls holding her from behind released her so they could be at a safe distance.

_My glasses! They can't break again. I just had them fixed._

Quickly, she removed her frames and kept it safe in her hand with the intention of putting it close to her chest as she planned to move in a fetal position. However, there was an unexpected kick to her ribs, making the air leave her lungs and she struggled to breathe. Someone crouched down to hit her face, and immediately a throb burned on her cheek; she was certain it was a cut that created the hurtful sting.

Meanwhile Ami was somewhat sitting on top of Sakura, her purple painted nails dug onto her shoulders, preventing her from sitting up as she ordered the nearest girl to pull the pink braids as hard as she could. Sakura bit down hard, endangering the thin skin to break on her lips, as she muffled whimpers and screams. Ami lifted one arm from pushing down a shoulder to hit her repeatedly on the side of her face.

The physical endurance of Ami did not last very long. Soon, when Ami stopped, the others followed suit by lowering their encouraging yells into snickering as they looked at the finished result of the battered girl. Ami ran a hand through her hair and spoke, "Let's go."

And Sakura was left on the cold ground, staring at the books with her blurred vision; the only witnesses to the beating.

* * *

There really was no one in sight to witness what had happened just now. These girls made quite a few noises, nonetheless, no one bothered to poke their head out and see for themselves what was going on. Without any hurry, he walked with a target in sight. When he reached where she was sprawled on the concrete ground, he looked down and examined the damage. There was nothing really on his mind since he did not pity the victim.

At least a pack of hyenas disabled his prey, giving him the advantage of doing whatever he pleased with the leftovers. Kneeling down, he lifted her up onto his arms, paying no heed to her bag or those heavy textbooks and walked back to where he left his motorcycle.

Groaning, she was aware that someone picked her up, and for once with the shock of the beatings, she did not feel the slightest alarm when she breathed in a leather jacket, slightly coated with the stench of cigarettes, and of course, the peppermint. It hurt too much to move, and when the sun's rays hit her naked eyes, they closed shut as she ignored the warning signs from remembering the dangerous scent of her new captor.

Tilted vertically from a horizontal position, she was placed on his motorcycle with both her legs dangling from one side. This increased the massive discomfort all over her body and was weighing her down. He did not immediately remove himself from her reach because she was sure to fall backwards and break her skull. Though, he began to feel the annoyance when she took so long in taking the hint that he also needed to get on the motorcycle. Therefore, he put his hand on her right inner thigh, forcing it apart and pulling it closer to him in order to turn her around so she sat facing forward.

She was starting to fall forward, but was intercepted when he got on in front of her. The engine roared to life as she sat there motionless and that was when she realized her bag was still on the sidewalk.

"If you don't hold onto me, you'll be experiencing more pain than what you are in right now," he advised, knowing that she was thinking about her belongings.

At least without the extra weight of her backpack, it was easier maintaining her balance on the motorcycle as she sat behind him. Her arms closed around his waist carefully as her forehead supported itself in between his shoulder blades. He saw that her hideous glasses were in her grasp, unscathed, unlike the owner. At times, she seemed to care more about materialistic things like her books, than her own well-being.

Not a moment later, he sped off. All she concentrated on was feeling as little pain as possible at that moment.

* * *

The pain became bearable when she lay down on the couch. Now if only she was able to breathe as less as possible, then she would not feel a thing. Shaking, she tried to put her glasses on, but was stopped, causing her to be startled when an ice bag was placed on the right side of her face. She wanted to pull it off, her hand automatically moved to do so, but he pressed it down, making her whimper so she gave in. It benumbed her cheek, making areas that were not injured uncomfortable.

Certain she would not remove the ice bag, he, without a word, moved her legs out of the way so he could sit down. Her limbs were immobile, allowing him to near and casually lift the ends of her sweater. It did not surprise him to find that there were two more layers underneath it and it did not halt his hands from going up her clothes. In a swift motion, he ran them up, effectively pushing up, what he supposed were tank tops, up to her bra so he could inspect the damage.

His not so subtle actions almost made her want to jump out of her skin, if it were not for the pain she was feeling at the moment that prohibited her body from flinching like she would have. Resorting into low puling, she stayed still and let him touch her, which was reminiscent of some previous dreams, even though she did not remember the details, involving him. He never really went as far as he is now in comparison to the massage and snake situations, excluding the shameful groping a short time ago.

But now, this could not be actually classified as humiliating and sexual. From the way he was touching her, she gathered he was checking the harm she suffered. Her grip tightened on her glasses while she tried to focus on something else, not sure to trust that he knew what he was doing, however, nothing pleasant came into mind.

Her skin was pale, and perhaps a shade lighter than her face and arms, indicating that she was never out of these 'modest' clothes, despite the redness across her stomach. She was rather thin and bony underneath all those clothes, especially when he felt her ribcage and flat stomach. His touch lingered, intent on making her feel as uncomfortable as possible and he succeeded when she sniveled on a more frequent basis.

"Your ribs aren't broken. They aren't even bruised. Stop crying," he said in a careless manner as he withdrew his hands, only to apply pressure to the ice bag on her right cheek. His thumb brushed against a cut, most likely caused by a ring, and it made her wince. She really did not stand a chance against all those girls, not when she was not even able to handle just one. He still wondered just as to whose handprint it belonged to when he found it on the nerd's face, and from today's event, he had a clue to who was responsible.

It was beyond her comprehension as to why he was helping her. Most people would have left her there, well, at least her peers at school, or anyone within the same age group as her. Squinting with her good eye, it was surreal seeing him like this, without a smirk of malice. She thought he enjoyed seeing her in any kind of pain so it was perplexing to only find an annoyed expression.

Truthfully, she believed he was incapable of doing anything nice for her, especially after all those bullying incidents. It was like the occurrence in which she cut her palm. The deed simply came out of nowhere, and although, he did not use polite words, only reprimanding her often, here he was…at least he was not licking the cut on her cheek—

"Where do you feel more pain?" he said annoyed when she would not stop crying.

_Everywhere._

The pressure on her cheek disappeared, her warm hand coaxed it, after she pulled down her sweater to stop feeling so naked, as he left the room and came back with something in his grasp. Assuming it was a first aid kit like before, she let him take her arm to roll up the sleeve and start to tie something around her arm. She had no clue to what he was doing. Her left eye was starting to swell, and it was difficult trying to keep it open.

Something rubber like tightened around her arm, and all of a sudden, she felt a prick that hurt. Wincing, the eye that was not injured located the source, and it widened once she made out the sight of a syringe injecting a clear substance into one of her veins.

_What is he doing…? No…stop…_

The substance seeped into her system, lulling the pain and panic, and brought her into an exhausted state before blacking out.

* * *

a/n: So apparently, that whole updating once a month didn't work.

I hope you all forgive me?


End file.
